• Received 166,362 calls to the City’s 311 Center for Service Innovation (CSI) and nearly 12,000 calls to United Way’s 211 line. (On July 1, 2015, 311 staff took over operations of 211, a United Way initiative that connects people in need with services in the East Tennessee region. The partnership between the City of Knoxville, CAC’s Office on Aging, and the United Ways of East Tennessee is the first and only one of its kind in North America.)

• Worked with Knoxville-Knox County’s Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) to formalize 311’s role in disaster and mass casualty response and recovery. 311 was designated by KEMA as the official help line for people wishing to sign up for the countywide Emergency Alert System (EAS).

• Led Ambassador Class of front-line employees tasked to innovate and improve City services to implement new, employee-driven programs, including:o The employee KUDOS program, where employees and City customers can recognize employees for going above and beyond; o Citywide Employee of the Year, recognized by the Ambassadors, the Mayor and City Council; ando Department videos, giving customers a brief, visual overview of City departments.

•Partnered with Knox Area Transit (KAT) in applying for and being awarded a grant for the Federal Transit Administration’s Rides to Wellness program. The grant award is $200,000 to the City of Knoxville to create and implement a pilot program to assist those reliant on public transportation in getting to and from healthcare appointments, and to encourage others to utilize public transportation as well.

• Since City Council voted unanimously to adopt the permanent ordinance regulating food trucks on April 26, 2016, more than 70 mobile food units have been inspected and permitted. The Office of Business Support continues to work with all the departments involved in this process (Law, Plans Review and Inspections, Fire, Police, Public Service, Traffic Engineering and Downtown Coordinator), business owners, special events organizers and the public to coordinate and address matters related to the Mobile Food Vendor Program.

Business Advisory Council

• Twelve new members were appointed to the City’s Business Advisory Council. The Council serves a two-year term and meets every other month to provide feedback on City programs and policies and to foster good communications with the business community.

Business assistance

• Assisted business start-ups with information on training resources, permitting requirements, alternative and new business models, and networking/connection opportunities.

• Helped businesses connect and/or navigate requirements and challenges in different City departments, as well as with outside entities, like MPC, KUB and the Knox County Health Department.

• Worked with the Law Department, Inspections, Zoning and MPC for the permitting of the first food truck park in Knoxville.

Business networking

• Attended various business and professional association meetings, Knoxville Chamber and Knoxville Entrepreneur Center events, ribbon cuttings, public meetings and community events.

Boards and Committees

• The Business Liaison, Patricia Robledo, represented the City on various nonprofit boards and committees including: Community Health Council, Family Justice Center, Mayor’s Maker Council, East Tennessee Quality Growth and East Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group.

• Civil Service processed 184 requisitions for vacancies in 2017. This resulted in the processing of more than 6,800 applications and the hiring of 76 new permanent employees and the promotion of 150 existing employees.

• Included in the hiring processes for 2017 was the hiring of a new Police Academy class, which is set to start in February 2018, as well as posting and accepting applications for firefighter recruits with an anticipated academy date of September 2018. This also included promotional processes for Police Officer I – IV, Sergeant, Fire Officer, Master Firefighter, and Fire Assistant Chief.

• Civil Service provided 1,633 training hours to City employees on topics like Personal Safety, Employment Law for Supervisors, Drug and Alcohol Training, and Preventing Harassment. Civil Service also documented 290 hours of OSHA training by Risk Management, 21 hours of training by Fleet, and 734 training courses completed by employees online on various safety topics.

• Conducted the annual Salary & Benefits Survey, reported the results to members of City Council and the Mayor, made recommended adjustments to the City’s classification and compensation plan, and administered the 2.5 percent across-the-board pay increase in July with notification to employees.

• Created 10 new job classes to meet the growing needs of City departments.

• Coordinated the City’s Summer in the City intern program. This year’s program included a group project that resulted in garden tiles honoring Pat Summit being placed at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Participated in numerous community career fairs including the Veterans Career Fair, Knox County Schools, Ex-Offender Job Fair, and the Austin-East Annual College and Career Fair.

Special Projects

• Coordinated the Municipal Management Academy through MTAS
.
• Worked with Fleet to create a mechanic apprentice program.

• Created an Administrative Technician “floater” position, and hired the employee, to provide administrative support to various departments.

•Conducted pro bono training:o Harassment Training for all employees of Monroe County; ando 2-day employment law training for the Southeastern Leadership Academy hosted by the Law Enforcement Innovation Center through UT.

• Developed a new uniformed examination processes:o Completed validation study for a new Police Officer Recruit written exam;o Completed development of new Master Firefighter exam; ando Began the process for validation study for a new Firefighter Recruit written exam and Physical Performance Test.

• Created 162 blog posts for the City website, along with hundreds of social media posts for the Mayor’s and City’s social media accounts.

• Webmaster managed the City of Knoxville website, which had more than 2.88 million page views during 2017.

• City website published an assimilation of 400 news releases from a variety of partners and news sources, including Knox County, KAT, KUB, Zoo Knoxville, Knox County Public Library, Legacy Parks, Visit Knoxville, the Change Center, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, the Knoxville Marathon, KEEM, MPC, TDOT, Bike Walk Knoxville, Remote Area Medical, THDA and KCDC. The website serves as a community resource, offering unique, easy-to-find consolidated information – links to City Council candidates’ websites and a schedule of public forums, for example. Another example: Guidelines for Affordable Care Act enrollment and a list of free sign-up events.

• Calendar on City Website promoted more than 1,300 events and public meetings.

• Took photographs at dozens of City and civic events that were posted on the City website and distributed through social media.

• Director served as liaison with City of Knoxville lobbyists and legislators to advocate for City priorities during the state legislative session. Also tracked issues at the federal level and communicated with Congressional offices.

• Created and planned the “Go Vote! Knoxville” initiative, which included public events in all six City Council districts and an online campaign to raise awareness of the 2017 City Council elections. Helped contribute to a significant increase in voter turnout from the last time a similar election was held.

• Designed and distributed a new weekly electronic newsletter, “From the Desk of Mayor Madeline Rogero,” a communication to constituents who sign up to receive the weekly email. The newsletter launched in August 2017.

• Managed citizen requests for commemorative lightings of the Henley Bridge. Communications coordinated with the Engineering Department and scheduled more than 100 lighting changes in 2017.

• Worked with Policy and Law on drafting and eventually presenting to Council an ordinance on short-term rentals. The ordinance was adopted by Council in November 2017.

• Supervised a Request for Proposals for a social media archive service, and selected a vendor. Archive service is being implemented.

• Produced six issues of the bimonthly City Works employee newsletter.

• Worked with Law, 311, Information Systems and other departments on the formulation and adoption of a new Open Data Policy, signed by the Mayor. Created an Open Data page on the City website to collect and display City information.

• Worked with the Public Arts Committee to promote public arts initiatives and requests for proposals across the city.

• Webmaster trained 6 City employees on website operations this year so they can manage their own departments’ pages, and provides ongoing website assistance to 40+ employees across multiple departments, in addition to posting daily updates to the website.

• Directed a University of Tennessee journalism intern, Beverly Banks, as she researched and documented unique never-before-published details on local African-American pioneers and on integration of City departments. The series of blog reports during Black History Month is now archived on the City’s website, and future Communications Department interns will contribute to the storytelling project.

• Two public meetings were held in conjunction with the development of the 2017-2018 Annual Action Plan. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) accepted the Action Plan, securing CDBG and HOME funds.

• The Community Development (CD) Administrator served on the KEEM Advisory Committee.

• The CD Administrator presented at the National Community Development Association (NCDA) Winter Conference on how to use technology to improve community engagement.

• Year three of the Historic Preservation Fund was implemented, awarding $595,007 to 13 projects. Eight new applications have been received for this year’s RFP (year 4) and are being evaluated.

• To date, a total of 29 Historic Preservation projects have been funded and 15 Historic Preservation projects have been completed.

• New infrastructure design and construction for Phase 2 and Phase 3, funded by the City, is underway at Walter P. Taylor Homes as part of the Five Points Revitalization project by Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC). Phase 1 is complete and fully occupied. Phase 2 is well under construction, and Phase 3 is being cleared and readied for additional infrastructure.

• The CD Director chairs the Abandoned, Blighted and Vacant properties (ABV) committee which meets monthly, reviews properties nominated for Demolition by Neglect and makes recommendations. DBN properties are reviewed every other month.

• A total of 28 blighted properties were remedied either by acquisition, repair, demolition or redevelopment.

• Nineteen properties have been sold through the Homemakers program, with one pending sale.

• The Commercial Façade Improvement program completed seven projects. The City investment on these projects was $342,000, which leveraged $1,199,080 in private investment by the property owners.

• Nine façade projects are under construction and nine applications have been reviewed and scored and are in process of starting construction.

• In 2017, 183 new jobs have been created and 11 jobs have been retained and three new businesses have been established through the Commercial Façade Improvement program.

• The CD Housing Division completed 15 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation projects, of which two were new construction replacement homes. Three projects are underway. Applications for the program have remained steady during the past year.

• Three Rental Rehabilitation units were completed during the year. One project with a total of 40 units will be closing by the end of 2017. Two other projects with a total of 182 units will be closing during the first quarter of 2018. In addition, two projects containing a total of 22 units will be funded through the City’s Affordable Rental Development program and should be closing by end of 2017.

• The City’s Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) developed six affordable homes for sale. During the year, seven affordable homes (some built in the previous year) were sold to low-income home-buyers with the City providing down payment assistance.

• During 2017, lead testing and remediation was completed in 77 owner-occupied and tenant-occupied units. This work was funded with the Lead-Hazard Control grant. This grant ended in July 2017. The department submitted another LHC grant application in February 2017, but that application was not selected for funding. After evaluating application feedback, the department anticipates submitting another application in the spring of 2018 to continue the program.

• During the year, Community Development awarded $1,354,387.84 in contracts to Section 3 businesses (businesses that meet HUD criteria for being owned by or employing low-income residents). These funds provided job training for 37 Section 3 residents and three homeless persons; seven new jobs were created and nine jobs were retained.

• The workforce development program through Neighborhood Housing Inc. had 26 graduates. Among the graduates, 12 were hired by area construction companies. Currently, 14 students are receiving workforce training.

Office on Homelessness

• The City assisted the Knoxville-Knox County Continuum of Care (CoC) and applied for $1,457,073 in funding for CoC grantees. This year’s application seeks to renew $1,224,043 in prior year funding, reallocate $149,600 into a new Transitional Housing/Rapid Rehousing program, and seek an additional $83,430 in new funds for additional Permanent Supportive Housing.

• In cooperation with community stakeholders on the Mayor’s Roundtable on Homelessness, Knoxville’s Plan to Address Homelessness carried out its third year of implementation.

• The City provided local support for homeless prevention case management services in several public housing apartment sites, as well as support at Minvilla Manor and Flenniken Landing, which represents 105 units of permanent supportive housing.

• Homeless Programs Coordinator Michael Dunthorn represented the Knoxville area by serving as chair of the Tennessee Interagency Council on Homelessness, and helped begin implementation of a new state homelessness plan.

• Supported KnoxHMIS at the University of Tennessee in order to operate a new online “Community Dashboard Report,” which provides current demographics and statistics on homelessness in the Knoxville community. The report provides transparent information to policy makers and the general public on achievements and challenges regarding this issue. This dashboard is the first of its kind in the country and has received much positive attention, and has been featured as a best-practice at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference.

• Worked with the State Department of Mental Health to support expansion of the Federal “Cooperative Agreement to Benefit Homeless Individuals” (CABHI) program into Knoxville, providing mental health outreach and case management through the Helen Ross McNabb Center.

• Worked with regional partners to continue the federal initiative to end veteran homelessness.

• Continued work with a “Housing Brain Trust” workgroup to develop a strategy for expanding affordable housing opportunities in Knoxville.

• Worked with the Knoxville Police Department, the Public Service Department and with community social service providers to address the issue of homeless camps along Second Creek and in other public spaces.

• In cooperation with the Homeless Coalition and the Office on Sustainability, carried out the third Knoxville “Landlord Summit.” The half-day session was well-attended and well-received. Landlords were provided with information intended to both improve their bottom line and also to increase the availability of affordable housing opportunities in Knoxville.

• Responded to more than 300 constituent calls, emails, and drop-in visits requesting information and assistance.

• Provided information or training on ADA/accessibility specifically geared toward the audiences of: Knoxville Police Department recruits and in-service personnel; CAC’s Leadership class; Disability Resource Center’s Live Out Loud Academy; the East Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Association of Landscape Architects (TNASLA); and the East Tennessee Public Works Directors meeting held in Sevierville. Presented with Ellen Zavisca of the Transportation Planning Organization to the International Traffic Engineers chapter at UT-Knoxville on pedestrian safety and design. Provided basic ADA training to members of the East Tennessee Healthcare Administrators conference.

• Met with City of Sevierville staff to discuss what an ADA Transition Plan is and how to provide ADA compliance across the city.

• Participated in, presented or provided remarks to: 2017 National AgrAbility Conference held in Knoxville, local chapter meeting of National Kitchens and Baths, UTK’s College of Social Work and the 2017 Neighborhoods Conference.

• Staff was appointed to the Complete Streets Consortium, a project of Smart Growth America that includes Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville.

• Managed all Mayor’s Council on Disability Issues (CODI) business and committee meeting logistics, production of minutes, and necessary follow-up. Staff worked with CODI on numerous initiatives, including: the revamp of the Disability Friendly City survey, hosting a “meet and greet” event with new City Council candidates to discuss disability issues, and providing feedback to the City and Public Building Authority regarding facilities that have been selected for first round of renovations. CODI Executive Committee met with Knox County mayor and staff about the need to appoint an ADA Coordinator after former coordinator retired.

• Assisted Engineering Department with several project issues involving installation of more accessible parking and a new entrance route at South Knox Community Center.

• Staff continues to partner with Parks and Recreation to consider ways that programming can be increased to offer more recreational opportunities to people with disabilities. (The Disabilities Services Office sponsored a team of individuals with disabilities to participate in the Spring Softball Tournament.)

• The director serves as the liaison between community organizations and the City; Community Relations is responsible for managing the Save Our Sons initiative; administering the City government's equal employment program with the objective of ensuring compliance with applicable laws, as well as overseeing the Police Advisory and Review Committee office and the City’s Title VI programs.

Save Our Sons (SOS) initiative

• Partnered with Project Grad and Austin-East High School to identify and send seven African-American males to the Education Equal Opportunity Group Inc. (EEOG) 16th annual Project Save-A-Student Leadership & Development Conference in Nashville, February 22-24, 2017. The program is geared toward low-income and underserved students, offering them collegiate and professional career preparatory programs, leadership skills and personal and professional development training.

• Developed and implemented a survey and campaign strategy, which included knocking on 1,000 doors in TCCRP grant targeted area to collect and analyze data to tailor future job fair events to meet the community’s needs. From that campaign, four jobs fairs were held:

o On April 27, 161 people attended the Morningside Community Center Job Fair hosted by the City of Knoxville’s Save Our Sons initiative. Representatives of Goodwill Industries, Knoxville Area Urban League, Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), Denny’s, Newell (Rubbermaid), and Crowne Plaza were in attendance, ready to offer employment to qualified candidates. Newell (Rubbermaid) hired 14 people on the spot. Also on hand were the University of Tennessee College of Law and the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office to assist with record expungements. They saw 38 individuals and expunged 108 records. Knoxville Area Urban League and representatives from the State of Tennessee Mobile Career Coach helped prepare resumes, conduct mock interviews and assist with job-readiness skills.

o Three additional job fairs were held: -A May 24 job fair drew 100 attendees. -An October job fair also drew more than 100 attendees and 30 employers. -Based on the post-surveys from the initial job fair, a follow-up job fair was held in November for ex-offenders, and it was attended by more than 50 people. -Connect Ministries assisted in providing applicants and pre-screening. SOS also partnered with Midway Rehabilitation Center and the UT-Knoxville College of Social Work to develop a survey to identify ex-offender needs to better identify and address challenges. Received valuable information to share with organizations working with returning citizens to assist with a smooth and successful transition back into society.

• Using funds from a state TCCRP grant, held a mini-grant pre-application meeting for organizations to help increase opportunities for boys and young men of color. Thirteen applications were submitted and evaluated, and six applicants were chosen with the awards totaling $93,600.

• Partnered with Five Points Up and Knox County Health Department for a community clean-up in East Knoxville on April 29; 200 people attended the event.

• Planned and hosted a Sons Summit on June 30 in partnership with Pellissippi State Community College to empower and encourage boys and young men of color, focusing on engagement with law enforcement, goal-setting, strategies for success and community service.

• Partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee to recruit 100 mentors of color in 100 days to mentor young men of color who are enrolled in the program.

• Partnered with Bike Walk Knoxville to engage more than 2,000 citizens who participated in the Open Streets event on Magnolia Avenue on May 21. Planners noted there was 25 percent minority participation, which is the largest minority participation in a local Open Streets event. The street was closed to traffic so that the community could play, congregate, and interact in a safe pop-up park. Many of the goals of Open Streets align with the mission of the Save Our Sons initiative, such as improving the perception/appearance of neighborhoods and providing safe spaces and activities for young men and boys of color. This event will have long-range economic and social benefits to the community in the targeted area.

• Five young men completed a 10-week internship program through Project Reach (YWCA), where they learned community involvement, work skills management and conflict resolution. Pre- and post-evaluations reflect increased sense of value, pride, exposure to career development / business owners / community leaders, learned benefits of school, higher education, obtaining a trade certificate, means to earn money, and a willingness to think outside of the box.

•Funded a summer apprenticeship program through SOLS Writing Center. Five young men of color were paid a stipend of $10 per hour / 4 weeks / 24 hours in a service-learning program that promoted entrepreneurship / service learning / community service / conflict resolution and life skills (SOLS Writing Center). Evaluations reflect a sense of hope among the young men to envision a future free of violence, gratefulness for the opportunity to earn money, and a desire to become self-starters and business owners in their communities.

• Conducted a second annual Safe Haven Gym Program that averaged 54 young men of color per week for a 10-week period. Data collected from the young men and KPD officers who participated in the program showed that the young men liked having a safe space to play basketball, avoid drugs and gang violence, learn conflict resolution and engage in positive interactions with law enforcement.

• Served 21 young men in the Real Talk (Vine Middle School) program designed to change attitudes and behaviors to positively impact young men of color.

• Attended the 4th annual Cities United Convening in Minneapolis, Minn., to discuss, share, plan and implement strategies to reduce violence and create opportunities among young men and boys of color. Participated in City Lead Workshops and presented on the subject of “Creating an Inclusive Economy.” (In 2018, the Cities United Convening will be held in Knoxville.)

Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC)

• PARC has focused on maintaining key relationships and visibility in the community. In addition, Executive Director Clarence Vaughn has worked toward increasing PARC’s community outreach and advocacy amongst citizens of Knoxville. The primary focus for the year was on increasing citizen awareness and providing timely responses to citizen complaints. With an emphasis placed on actively being involved in community engagement, PARC has been able to expand relationships and build strong ties with the citizens of Knoxville.

• Citizen complaints presented to PARC were of various complaint types, with the most common complaint being conduct unbecoming of police officers. In addition, PARC received 19 Citizen Advocate anonymous complaints. In 2017, 88 cases were brought before PARC; 87 cases were brought before PARC in 2016, which was a drop from 94 the previous year (2015).

• PARC Quarterly Meetings:

o 4th Quarter – Jan. 19, 2017PARC held its 4th quarter meeting on Jan.19, 2017, at Overcoming Believers Church. Participants received information about PARC’s Quarterly Report and reviewed Internal Affair cases for the 4th Quarter. The Knoxville Police Department provided training on technical services and digital audio. Officer Julia Smalls provided guests with information about the operation of officers’ wireless microphone and dashboard camera. There were conversations regarding the addition of body cameras, which was addressed by Chief David Rausch.

o 1st Quarter – April 20, 2017PARC held its quarterly meeting at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center, 6800 Deane Hill Drive. The Executive Director, Deborah Oleshanky, was very thankful and served as a host for the PARC meeting. Participants received PARC’s Quarterly Report and information about reviewed Internal Affair cases. There was a training session provided by the Knoxville Police Department regarding the Joint Task Terrorism Force. Participants gained helpful information from Chip Braener, representative from the Knoxville Police Department.

o 2nd Quarter – July 27, 2017PARC held its quarterly meeting at the City County Building. A large number of participants and concerned citizens attended the meeting, which included discussion of a complaint filed by Tonya Jameson of Charlotte, N.C. (Ms. Jameson’s complaint involved an off-duty officer who had held her at gunpoint after she was changing a license plate on a vehicle she’d purchased.) Also at the meeting, the Knoxville Police Department provided training on community education and outreach services provided by the department. Capt. Bob Wooldridge provided useful information and insight into the Knoxville Police Department community outreach activities and volunteer opportunities for citizens of Knoxville. Several guests submitted feedback and questions regarding the Internal Affairs Unit reviewed cases for the quarter. PARC board members were able to address to concerns and provide answers to citizens’ concerns.

o 3rd Quarter – Oct. 25, 2017PARC held its quarterly meeting at the Wesley House Community Center. Executive Director for the Wesley House Community Center, Tim Adams, was very grateful that PARC held its quarterly meeting at his facility. During the meeting, PARC board members provided updates on the quarterly report and Internal Affair Cases reviewed. In addition, the Executive Director provided feedback on questions asked during the previous PARC meeting. The training session was provided by Sgt. Sammy Shaffer of the Knoxville Police Department, who shared information about “active shooter scenarios.” Meeting participants enjoyed the training session and provided conductive dialogue.

• PARC community outreacho The Executive Director met with citizens outside of and in the PARC office to discuss concerns, complaints, and to develop plans for successful resolutions. A method of successful resolution was mediation sessions with the Knoxville Police Department.o The Executive Director was asked to be a guest speaker at several meetings and public forums. The focus of the discussions was the history of PARC and ways to improve relationships with law enforcement and the citizens.o PARC was invited to take part in several community events by civic- and community-based organizations and hosted booths to provide information about PARC and the process of filing a citizen complaint.

• PARC Executive Director speaking engagementso Was a guest speaker for the Black Men of Merit of Pellissippi State Community College meeting, which highlighted the Police Advisory Review Committee (Feb. 7).o Invited by the Black Student Law Group and the University of Tennessee and served as a keynote speaker and panelist. The discussion was directed to ways to improve relationships between citizens and law enforcement (Feb. 12).o Spoke at the Farragut Chamber of Commerce evening networking event, hosted by United Bank (March 9).o Was a guest speaker for the East Knoxville Community Meeting. The discussion was based on the foundation and history of the Police Advisory and Review Committee, and its service to the City of Knoxville (April 3). o Served as the host for the Future of Hope Recognition Banquet, which recognized scholars who completed the eight-month program created by Johnson University to build leadership development and community engagement (April 6).o Spoke with students with a criminal justice focus at Maryville College. The information provided was directed to the creation of PARC and PARC’s function within the City of Knoxville (April 10).o Was a speaker for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation inaugural Citizen’s Academy graduation. The Executive Director was chosen amongst other classmates to share thoughts and information learned from the 4-week Citizens’ Academy (April 25).o Hosted the Cultural Competency Training for Knoxville Police Department recruit class. PARC board members and volunteers served as speakers and discussion leaders related to the areas of biases and cultural awareness (May 31).o Was a guest speaker for the Rotary Club of Bearden, in which the Executive Director was a past member. The conversation entailed the functions of PARC and complaint process for concerned citizens (June 9).o Was a guest speaker for the Mayor’s Summer Internship Program. The discussion was about the creation of PARC and its service to the citizens of Knoxville (July 21).o Presented the history of PARC to the 2017 Knoxville Police Department recruit class. KPD recruits were able to become knowledgeable of PARC and its structure (Aug. 4).o Was a guest speaker for the North Knoxville Rotary Club meeting. Rotarians were provided with an understanding of PARC and its timeline of service to the citizens of Knoxville (Aug. 31).o Greeted the 59th Citizens Police Academy at the Knoxville Police Department headquarters. Attendees were provided with a background and history of PARC, and they were informed about our advisory and review process (Sept. 28).o Was a guest on the Democratic Television show, which was hosted by the Knox County Democratic Party. The conversation was directed to PARC’s jurisdiction and service to the City of Knoxville (Sept. 29).

• PARC Networkingo Attended the 23rd annual Conference of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement in Spokane, Wash. The conference provided extensive networking opportunities among civilian oversight agencies across the country and world. o The Executive Director has created relationships with law enforcement agencies, such as Knox County Sherriff’s Office, Blount County Sherriff’s Office, University of Tennessee Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. o Attended monthly meetings hosted by Knoxville organizations, community leaders, and nonprofit entities that focus on sharing information about current issues and activities that impact the community: - East Knoxville Community Meeting- East Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group- Knoxville Community Step-Up- Knoxville Community Forum- Community Defense of East Tennessee- Helen Ross McNabb Center- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission- Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum- Rotary Club of Bearden- Knoxville Optimist Club- Knox County Democratic Party, Progressive Action Committee- University of Tennessee College of Social Work- University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Associate Program

• PARC relationship building (advocacy)o The Executive Director along with PARC board members and volunteers provided Cultural Competency Training to the Knoxville Police Department recruit class. The training comprised a 6-hour workshop that discussed biases and best practices to improve relationships between community members and law enforcement. o Met with the Knoxville Police Department command staff to build strong relationships to help improve transparency between both departments. Chief David Rausch and his command staff provide insight and details towards improving relationships with community members through the service of the Police Advisory and Review Committeeo Graduated from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s inaugural Citizens’ Academy in Knoxville. The Executive Director was asked to serve as a speaker during the commencement ceremony, in which he shared lasting information learned during the 6-week academy. o Graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 8-week Citizens’ Academy. Participants were provided with insight into the FBI Knoxville headquarters and the inner workings of each department.o Graduated from the 2017 Class of Introduction Knoxville, comprised of community leaders and public servants. The weekly sessions provided in-depth knowledge about the history of Knoxville and key figures that made a significant impact in the city. o Conducted training during Knoxville Police Department’s officer mass roll call for the West and East district. The Executive Director shared PARC’s Quarterly Report and Internal Affair cases reviewed with KPD officers and command staff. The discussion was directed to types of complaints and effective ways to improve relationships with citizens.

• In 2017, Employee Benefits and Risk Management were reconsolidated into one department. Separately, these departments share common goals of employee wellness and the avoidance of chronic disease, and reconsolidating the two created a streamlined approach to these goals and other initiatives.

Employee Benefits

• Improved Employee Assistance Program services to include the addition of an onsite provider who specializes in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The City’s provider is on site 20 hours per week with an office in the Public Works Service Center.

• Implemented a more user-friendly portal to allow participants to track their requirements for the City’s My Health Wellness Program. Implementation included multiple training sessions for various departments.

• Continued with an annual production of compensation statements for all full-time employees that illustrated total compensation to each employee that included benefits, educational reimbursement, holiday pay, and overtime.

• Offered three all-day seminars to City employees contemplating or approaching retirement filled with information and guest speakers on what to expect after retirement.

• Consolidated Annual Enrollment and Voluntary Benefits enrollment in effort for employees to better understand all benefits available to them and included most benefits in PeopleSoft for election.

• Expanded New Hire Onboarding into two half-days of orientation, with the first day including lunch provided by Employee Benefits and paid parking with the assistance of the Ambassador Program and Civil Service.

• Coordinated a successful Mayor’s Employee Appreciation Picnic and Benefits Fair that included a new program, Employee of the Year, with the help of Consolidated Charities, Special Events, and Parks and Recreation.

• Complied with requirements of the Affordable Care Act, including timely distribution of 1094-C data to the IRS and 1095-C Forms to employees covered under the City’s health plan for 2015 with the help of Information Systems.

Risk Management

• Reorganized the Physical Therapy component for occupational health with a fulltime Doctor of Physical Therapy. Her primary goal is to assist in helping employees get back to work faster, work conditioning, and safety.

• Sent the City’s Health and Safety Specialist to the OSHA 501 Trainer Course for General Industry, which he passed and can now offer OSHA 10- and 30-hour training to City employees without outside assistance or additional cost.

• Saved money through subrogation efforts on liability and workers’ compensation with both City and KAT, recovering $84,085 year to date in 2017.

• Finalized and implemented a new drug testing policy to include a 10-panel plus synthetics drug testing for random drug tests of safety sensitive employees.

• Continued decreases in the number of workers’ compensation claims for both City of Knoxville and KAT employees.

• Gleason Drive Sidewalk between Downtown West Boulevard and Bearden High School Project

• Gleason Drive Sidewalk west of Montvue Road Project *

• Harriet Tubman Improvements (The Change Center) *

• West Jackson Avenue Streetscapes

• KAT Employee Parking Lot Project *

• KAT Summit Hill Transit Stop Project

• Kingston Pike Complete Connections Project

• Liberty Street Multimodal Project

• Magnolia Avenue Streetscapes Project

• Merchant Drive at Clinton Highway Intersection Improvements Project

• Middlebrook Pike at Lake Brook Boulevard Sidewalk Project

• North Central Streetscapes Project

• North Central Streetscapes – 200 Block Project *

• Old Broadway Sidewalks Project

• Old City Streetscapes *

• Palmetto Road Sidewalk Project

• Pleasant Ridge Road at Wilson Road Sidewalk Project

• Ray Mears Boulevard Sidewalk Project *

• 2017 Sidewalk Replacement Project

• 2018 Sidewalk Replacement Project

• Wilson Avenue Sidewalk Project

• West Young High Pike Sidewalk Project *

Facility Construction, Renovation and Demolition Projects include:

• 2018 Citywide Facilities Paving Project

• Cal Johnson Recreation Center Renovation Project

• Caswell Park Storage Building Project *

• Deane Hill Recreation Center Roof Project *

• Facilities Paving at 913 E. Fifth Avenue Project *

• Fire Station No. 18 Fascia Repair and Painting Project

• Fire Station No. 18 Roof Project *

• Fire Headquarters Driveway Project

• Fire Headquarters Roof Project

• Fire Station No. 4 Renovations Project

• Fire Station No. 7 Repairs

• Fort Sanders Fire Station No. 9 Floor Modifications Project *

• Lakeshore Parking Lot Lights Project *

• Lonsdale Multipurpose Facility

• Prosser Road Impound Building Project

Recreation Design and Construction Projects include:

• First Creek Greenway Project *

• Fort Dickerson Gateway Park Project *

• Fort Dickerson Parking Lot Improvements

• Loves Creek Greenway Project

• Northwest Greenway Connector Project

• Second Creek Greenway Project

• Suttree Landing Park Improvements – Phase 1B Project *

• Western Avenue Pedestrian Bridge Project

• South Knoxville Community Center Roof Project

• Urban Wilderness Gateway Project

Drainage Improvement Design and Construction Projects include:

• 2014 Neighborhood Drainage Project – Phase 1 *

• 2017 Neighborhood Drainage Project

• 2017 Neighborhood Drainage Project – Phase 2

* denotes projects completed in 2017; others are in process

Stormwater Engineering Division

Permits

• Stormwater Engineering received 1,780 new site development permit applications in 2016. This resulted in 970 new site development permits being issued, 360 for commercial projects and 610 for single-family residences.

• The City also received 56 new right-of-way permit applications and issued 47; received and issued 12 new permits for floodplain developments; and received 110 new special pollution abatement permit applications and issued 101.

Qualified Local Program

• The City continues to be a Qualified Local Program by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which allows the Engineering Department to issue the state’s Construction General Permit. This prevents the need for developers to submit plans to two different agencies, which helps create a more unified plans review and approval process.o 25 Notices of Intent for Coverage reviewedo 24 Notices of Coverage issued for new construction projectso 23 Notices of Terminations issued

Significant projects permitted:

• Five Points – Phase 2

• New entry feature for Zoo Knoxville

• KUB’s Mark B. Whitaker water treatment plant improvements

• KUB’s waste water treatment plant improvements

• Lake Avenue garage

• Main Event development

• Resident Inn and Courtyard Suites

• Sterchi Apartments

• Drury Inn and Suites

• The Village at Holston Court

Development Certification

• The City of Knoxville received 60 new Development Certification submittals; 166 reviews were performed, and 74 projects were certified and released in 2017.

• Updated applicable layers on KGIS and provided mapping support for special projects, such as annexations, traffic sign inventory, visual aids for ribbon-cuttings, neighborhood meetings, building inspection zones and new solid waste department contracts.

• Supported MPC, City Council and the Law Department for closure of approximately 21 public rights-of-way and legal deed preparation for transfer of properties.

• Assisted in the efforts to replace the dock in front of Calhoun’s at Volunteer Landing.

• Assisted in the replacement of the Vol Navy dock at Volunteer Landing.

• Provided assistance for administration of the Development Agreement with Riverwalk Apartments.

• Partnered with the Office of Redevelopment to provide technical assistance and oversee the construction of and CEI for the Riverwalk at the Bridges apartments and the Blount Avenue Streetscapes Project.

• Currently updating the Qualified Local Program policy, so the City of Knoxville can continue to issue Construction General Permits for TDEC; this improves the level of service for the development community.

• Contributed to the revisions of the recently approved MPC Subdivision Regulations.

• Contributed to the updates to Article V, Section 7 of the Zoning Ordinance (parking regulations), which was recently approved.

• Updated the City of Knoxville Stormwater and Street Ordinance to simplify processes and improve response to property maintenance concerns, which was recently approved by City Council.

• Currently involved in the ongoing review of changes for the Recode Knoxville proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments.

Water quality and drainage

• Replaced the pump intake screen at Fountain City Lake to reduce clogging due to algae. Assisted and trained the Lions Club on critical maintenance operations, including skimming and algaecide treatments before construction began.

• Coordinated with KUB projects to restore stormwater infrastructure damaged in the right-of-way during utility construction.

• Provided after-hours emergency response for water quality emergencies, including spills and illegal dumping in order to investigate, enforce, and coordinate remediation. One response was for a notable discharge from illegal dumping of heating oil, which contaminated approximately 3,000 linear feet of stormwater system and approximately 1.5 miles of Third Creek. The areas contaminated by the heating oil were required to be cleaned up by the owner of the facility.

• Maintained the Tennessee Qualified Hydrologic Professional certification and performed hydrologic determinations as needed throughout the City. The QHP analysis on the Banks Avenue Stream Restoration Project determined that the conveyance now supports aquatic life in what was a previously closed pipe system. It is now classified as a stream with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

• Removal of fill within the floodway of Williams Creek at Selma Avenue to accommodate additional flood storage volume in an area of chronic flooding and NFIP repetitive losses.

• Applied for and awarded TEMA/FEMA grant under the National Flood Insurance Program to purchase and evacuate a repetitive loss structure located within the floodplain of First Creek. Funding for the project will be 87.5 percent federal/state with a 12.5 percent City match, acceptable as value of work in kind.

• Coordinated with the University of Tennessee, the City’s Public Service Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office to remove a huge floating trash pile and a large natural debris dam from Third Creek between Kingston Pike and Neyland Drive adjacent to the greenway.

• Completed design and installation of a significant green infrastructure project on Elyria Drive to address chronic structural flooding for the surrounding neighborhood.

• Coordinated stream restoration at two of the largest erosion sites in the City. One along the First Creek Greenway was completed while the other on Fourth Creek tributary is still pending.

• Performed pipe camera inspections on more than 6,400 feet of stormwater pipes and proactively identified dozens of critical pipe replacements before the paving contract resurfaced the streets.

• Response to, investigation of, and prioritization of approximately 800 stormwater quantity calls for service and 200 stormwater quality calls for service, resulting in 166 construction work orders and 204 maintenance work orders.

• Performed inspections on more than 190 detention ponds to insure proper operation, management, and flood control.

• Completion of 193 outfall inspections four times each to identify illicit dumping and discharges in compliance with dry-weather screening requirements of the City’s NPDES Permit.

• Performed field investigations of stormwater infrastructure that resulted in more than 100 revisions to the stormwater inventory layer in KGIS and 13 new outfalls that were tested.

• Completion of 143 Special Pollution Abatement Permit site inspections to insure site specific compliance with SPAP requirements, including: appropriate operation and maintenance of stormwater treatment controls, proper management of target pollutants, and implementation of site-specific management controls in order to provide Citywide stormwater quality control.

• Continued the annual stormwater priority inspections at more than 200 critical inspection locations to identify and eliminate potential problems before they cause hazards or flooding.

• Responded to more than 138 sinkhole / cave-in requests, including significant failures located in the right-of-way that caused emergency closures and resulted in repairs and / or construction in order to maintain the integrity of the public infrastructure and ensure the health and safety of the citizens of Knoxville.

• Identified and eliminated two major illicit sanitary sewer discharges that were in high pedestrian traffic areas of the right-of-way, which ultimately entered the storm drains and creek. Multiple enforcement actions led to private property owners repairing sanitary sewer laterals and eliminating the direct hazard to public health.

• Organization and coordination of Knox County Sheriff’s Office inmate volunteers to clear trash, debris and vegetation out of creeks and waterways, saving the City both time and resources. Massive dams were removed on both Goose and First Creeks to prevent flooding and property damage.

• Completed and resubmitted the NPDES Permit reapplication that includes improvements to the sampling requirements, runoff reduction / volume control, and mitigation banking opportunities for new development.

• Water quality management, inspection and stormwater sampling of municipal industrial facilities to support other departments with NPDES requirements.

• Operation, maintenance and upgrade of underground pipe inspection equipment, including crawler, push camera and a pole cameras for pipe inspections. These technologies have resulted in the near elimination of the need to send employees into confined spaces.

• Training of two more volunteer groups as part of the Adopt-a-Stream program to protect and improve stream water quality.

• Sponsored River Rescue, coordinating volunteers who removed 11.5 tons of trash and 277 tires from the shores of the Tennessee River and its tributaries.

• The Stormwater Quality and Drainage group was relocated to a more efficient use of work space on the 3rd floor of the City County Building. The technicians now benefit from a modernized open floor plan with Space Saver sit/stand desks made from eco-friendly and sustainable UV-cured Bamboo with no VOCs or air pollutants.

Traffic Engineering Division

Operations

• Traffic Engineering team has worked with Information Systems to deploy Accela-based work order system. This system will enhance flexibility by increasing the efficiency of communications and reporting. This system also allows work order data to be more fully integrated with other City department processes, such as 311 and City finance systems.

• Developed a Guardrail Maintenance and Installation Program:o Utilizing a georeferenced database, inventoried the operational fitness of more than 100 miles of guardrail;o Developed citywide guardrail systems database process to improve and maintain the operational fitness of these systems; ando Implemented a guardrail maintenance contract, scheduled to repair / replace approximately 2,500 feet of guardrail, including modernizing end terminals.

• Developed a Signal Maintenance and Installation Program:o Contract will allow the department to repair and maintain signals in subpar condition, as well as installing signals at new locations.

• Roadway safety system improved:o Crash data analysis database has been populated with two years of crash data that has been “cleaned” for analytical use. o Automating the current signal indexing system to prioritize more quickly the ongoing signal warrant analysis.

• Sign inventory / assessment system updated:o Prepared work processes to better document sign management system to include KGIS mapping tools.o Assessed and documented the condition and reflectivity of over 50,000 signs citywide, utilizing established federal standards.o Developed internally a citywide sign maintenance system that records KGIS georeferenced locations, condition and reflectivity in the new Accela Work Management System. Developed a work order system by teaming with Information Systems and 311 using Accela data platform.

• Designed several Temporary Traffic Control plans for Stormwater work orders and projects.

• Designed and deployed Temporary Traffic Control plans for more than 100 City events. (See a general summary in Sign & Marking Systems.)

• Developed traffic system optimization with our in-house Traffic Engineering staff along Westland at I-140, Western Avenue, the entire Middlebrook Pike Corridor, Weisgarber Corridor, and Cedar Bluff Corridor, saving the City of Knoxville more than $100,000 in engineering expenses.

• Assisted the purchasing team and KPD with automated red light enforcement program development.

• Designed, manufactured and deployed specialized detour and guide sign systems for the Island Home Avenue Detour, surrounding parks and businesses as well as Work Zone Traffic Control for Sutherland Avenue and Henley Street.

• Managed railroad safety program that includes the design and deployment of projects on Sims Road, Candora Road and Buchanan Avenue. Seven more projects are still in process.

• Managed school zone safety program that includes City’s partnership and coordination throughout the year with Safe Routes to School Committee and Neighborhood Traffic Safety Committee.

• Traffic Systems is preparing for the future of traffic management by guiding the development of Advanced Traffic Management Systems across the City’s major roadway systems. Currently managing the design of a 25-mile transportation-focused fiber optic system that will manage traffic in real time along Chapman Highway, Kingston Pike and Broadway. This work includes a significant amount of coordination with other utilities and should be in construction phase in early 2018.

• Installed and/or upgraded the following:o 40 upgraded pedestrian push buttonso 2 solar-powered stop sign flasher assemblieso 7 new 16-phase control cabinets (5 on Cumberland Avenue)o 48 Naztec 980ATC traffic signal controllers along Hall of Fame, Middlebrook, and Cumberland Corridor o 20 AT&T Wireless Cradlepoint modems with an ATMS now demo central with 52 live locals including 6 county signalso 36 Ethernet switches on Broadway, Cumberland Avenue, Kingston Pike, Emory Roado Inspected 184 detector loop installationso Removed graffiti at 49 locationso Programmed 143 school flasher clocks for the 2017-2018 school year and 28 clocks converted to new Applied Information Glance Cellular Clocks o Programmed 15 school flasher clocks for the 2017 summer school programo Oversaw the installation of 6 cabinet skins, as part of the Knoxville History Project’s Downtown Art Wraps program. As part of this public art program, sponsors covered traffic signal control cabinets with reproductions of art from Knoxville’s past, featured in Knoxville Museum of Art’s ongoing exhibition, "Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee." Artists to be featured include Catherine Wiley, Charles Krutch, Carl Sublett, Robert Birdwell and Albert Milani, among others.oIn support of Civil Engineering, provided major signal system modification along Cumberland Avenue

• Teamed with parking committee members to develop and design new innovative parking schedule signage and meter stickers throughout Knoxville that more clearly communicates when parking is allowed and prohibited.

• Procured a state-of-the-art digital sign printer and completely overhauled the existing sign manufacturing process to increase efficiency and response time to requests, as well as achieving higher-quality signs with more creative flexibility.

• Refurbished and replaced all signs and yellow curbing within the Fort Sanders area.

• Teamed with KGIS to create a mobile platform for personnel to be able to access Sign & Marking inventory data in real time while in the field with iPads.

• Advised and provided support from within the Emergency Command Center for various events including the marathon, U.S. Cycling event, 17th Street protest, parades, UT football games, etc. The support provided included routing emergency vehicles through closures to answer emergency calls.

• 2,671 sign operations work orders completed.

• 727 pavement marking work orders completed.

• Installed 1,544 Temporary No Parking Signs.

• Manufactured 4,112 signs.

• Refreshed pavement markings and yellow curbing in the CBID, including Gay Street.

• Painted 565 miles of yellow and white lane lines.

• Coordinated with Public Service Department for deployment of street closures and parking removal for various projects.

• Coordinated with the City’s ADA Coordinator, Stephanie Cook, to provide accessible parking for city functions.

• Performed 116 road closures as requested by the Public Service, Construction, Stormwater Engineering, and Civil Engineering departments.

• Responded to 21,716 calls for emergency service, including responding to 611 overdose calls and administering naloxone to 346 patients (January through November).

• Provided medical standby for 280 different special events and provided CPR training for 3,035 residents through American Heart Association affiliation.

• Installed 300 smoke alarms and replaced 333 batteries in existing smoke alarms in residences through Smoke Alarm Program. In addition, worked with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the American Red Cross to conduct a fire alarm blitz in January to install new smoke alarms in residences in the East Knoxville area. The cooperative effort resulted in the installation of 207 smoke alarms.

• KFD’s 19 fire stations hosted 61 visits from schools, daycares and other groups where firefighters showed them around the station, displayed the fire trucks, and talked about fire safety. In addition, there were 70 requests for fire truck visits to schools and daycares where the firefighters displayed the fire truck, put on their turnout gear and talked about fire safety.

• The Public Education Division taught 122 fire extinguisher classes to 826 students. Using Fire Safety House, along with volunteers from the American Red Cross, taught 15,986 students in 836 classes at 100 schools. KFD reached a milestone this year with the 120,000th student visiting the original Fire Safety House.

• Purchased a new Fire Safety House to replace the 23-year-old Fire Safety House and began using it in October. It has already been used to teach more than 3,000 students.

• Replaced a 22-year-old ladder truck at the Fort Sanders Fire Station No. 9 with a new 95-foot ladder truck manufactured by E-One, and purchased a 2016 75-foot ladder truck from E-One to serve as a reserve truck for all eight of our frontline ladder and quint trucks.

• Purchased 20 Lucas 2 automatic chest compression devices and deployed them on all engine and quint companies to use when performing CPR.

• Held fifth annual Citizens Fire Academy during April and May. The Academy provided the participants with an in-depth look at many of KFD’s divisions and included demonstrations and hands-on activities, as well as a visit to the 911 Center.

• Held second annual “Firefighter Night on Market Square,” a community outreach event, on Oct. 17 with static displays of City’s antique fire trucks and booths set up by Fire Prevention Division and Training Division.

• Participated in a series of 31 emergency planning table-top exercises led by Knox County Schools.

• Implemented a new online learning management system from Target Solutions to improve the continuing education and training for City firefighters.

• Worked with Civil Service to update the promotional exams and complete the testing processes for Fire Officer and Master Firefighter. Twenty-one Master Firefighters were promoted to Fire Officer in June. The new Fire Officers participated in a weeklong training class for leadership and management that took place at Training Academy.

• Worked with Civil Service to begin the process of hiring a new class of firefighter recruits.

• Held an open house at the West Hills Fire Station No. 20 on Aug. 5, with CPR training, fire extinguisher training, and free blood pressure checks provided to visitors.

• Teamed with the American Red Cross to offer CPR training during the “Open Streets Magnolia” event on May 22.

• The Fire Prevention Division performed a total of 3,013 inspections and 888 plan reviews. They also completed approximately 446 hours of specialized training, including training a new alarm system plans reviewer, three new building plans reviewers, one pyrotechnic plans reviewer, one new blasting specialist and two new fire inspectors.

• Fire Inspectors obtained additional state certifications, including two Inspector I certifications, two Inspector II certifications, one Commercial Building Inspector I certification and one Plans Review certification.

• Worked with the Public Service Department to complete a remodeling project at the Lonas Fire Station No. 12. The station underwent extensive structural repairs along with a complete interior renovation, restoring the original character of the almost 90 year-old building. An open house and dedication of the station was held on Dec. 8.

• Worked with the Public Service Department to replace the deteriorating concrete apron at the Park City/Park Ridge Fire Station No. 4.

• Deployed five firefighters to assist with the catastrophic flooding in Texas and Louisiana in September.

• Hosted the Tennessee Commission on Firefighting’s East Tennessee Division Peer Review for the 2018 State Educational Supplement Program (Dec. 8, 2017), and Training Division hosted several outside agencies throughout 2017.

• KFD Chaplain Paul Trumpore was named 2017 Chaplain of the Year by the Federation of Fire Chaplains. Trumpore led the Chaplain, Crisis Intervention and American Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care response to the Sevier County wildland fires in November and December 2016.

• Began implementing new career development plans for firefighters starting with the transition from Firefighter to Senior Firefighter.

• Replaced old analog radios with new P25 compliant digital radios.

• Began a new program of third-party testing of fire hose and ground ladders in order to improve fire ground safety by ensuring all hoses, nozzles and ladders are tested to national standards.

• Provided additional driver training in August for Senior Firefighters using a driving simulator on loan from the State of Tennessee

• The Knoxville Association of Firefighters Local 65 donated 22 commercial grade elliptical exercise machines to be utilized by City firefighters as part of exercise program. The association also donated two portable battery-operated positive pressure fans to be utilized during firefighting operations.

• Purchased, installed and trained on the proper use of Automated External Defibrillators at all three Fleet Service facilities.

• Created and facilitated an Incident Review Committee as a partnership between Fleet Services, Public Service and Risk Management. Incidents are reviewed to determine the root cause so corrective action can be taken or engineer modifications made to eliminate the hazard(s).

• Heavy Shop conducted a test of renewable diesel. The renewable diesel was used in a small sample of trucks that were having engine issues. The renewable diesel provided a favorable solution to the issues the trucks were having. A report was prepared and distributed.

• Heavy Shop and Fire Shop teams returned to the Public Works Service Center campus in August 2017. The teams had left in August 2016 to allow for Phase II renovations/construction at the Public Works Service Center. The Fleet project included the renovation of two existing buildings and the construction of two new buildings. The Heavy Shop and former Horticulture buildings were renovated. The new buildings that were constructed are the Fire Ladder Truck Bay and Small Engine Fabrication Shop. Three Master Fire Apparatus Technicians now have a facility that can support repairs of multiple trucks and provide them the ability to work on ladder trucks inside a building versus on the lot.

• Light Shop continues to be certified as an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Blue Seal of Excellence facility. This certification is awarded to facilities where at least 75 percent of the technicians have taken, passed and maintained certification on the automobile/light truck series of tests.

• Heavy Shop continues to be certified as an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Blue Seal of Excellence facility. This certification is awarded to facilities where at least 75 percent of the technicians have taken, passed and maintained certification on the heavy/medium truck series of tests.

• Fleet Services’ cooperative relationship has grown to include KAT, KUB, Knox County, UT fleet department and neighboring counties. A monthly get-together is held to discuss fleet issues and opportunities. The cooperative has created educational opportunities for training to be conducted in Knoxville versus traveling to another city. This option has saved travel dollars. The added benefit of staying in town for training is the availability of team members in case of an emergency.

• Revenue Collections can now easily accept credit card payment for property and business tax online and in the office. Point of sale devices (readers and receipt printers) were seamlessly integrated with the tax collection software to provide a secure payment experience for every taxpayer.

• I.S. staff performed a major upgrade to the City network this year. The upgrade included replacing a major switch, Citywide firewall, intrusion detection, and reverse proxy devices. This work lays the foundation for increased bandwidth and speed for more than 1,500 City computer users.

Fire Department communications speed increase

• I.S. worked alongside AT&T to change the current T1 phone line technology used to communicate to computers at fire stations from copper to fiber optics. This change increased the stability and speed at each location.

Work order system (KnoxWorks) Phase II

• Phase II of this project partnered Information Systems and Traffic Engineering to design and implement a consolidated work order system for parking meters, traffic signs, guard rails and traffic signals. Engineers utilize mobile tablets to enter and complete work orders or inspections while out in the field.

Public Building Authority (PBA) uses app to issue parking tickets

• Instead of handwritten parking tickets, PBA security officers now create electronic parking citations using a cell phone “app” and mobile printers. The data for the ticket is stored electronically and is transferred to Municipal Court computers for court processing and payment.

Fleet Services uses Wi-Fi to increase vehicle repair efficiency

• I.S. devoted time and effort to plan a new network required to move Fleet Services to the Public Works Service Center. Wi-Fi was installed and can be accessed by Fleet personnel to perform Internet-based diagnostics on vehicles.

• With the ever-growing threat from cyber hackers, Information System is conducting training classes for the Finance, Human Resources, and Benefits departments. Training will continue and expand to other departments next year.

• Accepted the 2017 Outstanding Transportation System Award from the American Public Transportation Association.

Service improvements

• Expanded service on 13 bus routes in January, including:o 30-minute service on Route 22 – Broadway on Saturdayso New Sunday service on Routes 23 – Millertown and 33 – MLKo Later service on neighborhood-based routes such as 17 – Sutherland, 21 – Lincoln Park, and 40 – South Knoxville

• Added new service to The Change Center in August, with 30-minute service on Route 34 – Burlington, new Sunday service, and later evening service.

• Adjusted Route 12 – Western Avenue to service The Change Center as well as the Mechanicsville Food City.

Customer enhancements

• Expanded the hours of the Customer Service Counter an additional four hours on weekdays, as well as new hours on Saturdays.

• Launched a new website featuring interactive maps, an employee Intranet, and text and email alert features for customers. So far, 500 users have signed up to receive alerts, vastly improving communications with passengers.

• Repaired 90 percent of bus stop shelters that had experienced damage. Awaiting parts for the last two shelters.

• Instituted a “quality assurance program” in the maintenance department resulting in the improvement of the condition of KAT vehicles, passenger amenities, and facilities.

Outreach, marketing, and public relations

• Conducted a “Mayor On Board” event in June, highlighting Downtown and North Knoxville businesses and City improvements.

• Conducted marketing promotion of new Wi-Fi service on all buses, featuring billboards, electronic advertising and a social media campaign.

• Dawn Distler, Director of Transit, was appointed to the American Public Transportation Association’s Board of Directors.

• Implemented trolley marketing, including participation in “Where’s Waldo” and “Elf-on-the-Shelf,” a trolley stationed at the Daniel Tiger event at the Tennessee Theatre, and participation in various downtown parades, as well as promotion of a new trolley-specific Facebook page.

• Outreach events reached more than 4,000 people. Highlights include: Summer Reading Program with Knox County Public Library, Travel Training with high school students and senior adults, participation in farmers’ markets, and various other community outreach opportunities.

• Created the “passenger playbook” campaign for University Tennessee football game days to promote using regular route service to get to the games and resulting in increased ridership numbers on Route 11 during the season.

• Expanded Facebook following by 40 percent since January, from 1,658 to 2,780 by early December 2017. In total, KAT posts reached 355,000 people since the beginning of the year. Expanded video content, with almost 35,000 views from Jan. 1 to date.

• Added seven new Gillig buses to the fleet, featuring new charging stations for mobile devices on the bus interior.

• Contracted and completed construction of the new employee Park & Ride lot. This is the first construction effort contributing to the Magnolia Avenue Streetscapes Project.
Grants and special projects

• In partnership with the City Engineering Department, announced the grant award for the Broadway corridor ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management System) project, to include an Accelerated Bus Corridor (ABC) element.

• Partnered with 311 on getting Scheduled Bus Route Data available as open source, posted on the City’s Open Data portal.

• Partnered with Metropolitan Planning Commission to acquire Remix Software as a Service (SAS) to improve route planning and analysis.

• New camera system installed in all KAT buses, access points still in progress.

• Implemented the KAT Kaleidoscope program:o Developed and presented to KAT team Core Values (Teamwork, Diversity, Empowerment, Innovation, Respect) for the KAT organization to follow.o Currently implementing a job-shadowing program for team members.o Created a KAT Cares committee to promote community events/initiatives.

The City Law Department serves as the City of Knoxville in-house law firm for comprehensive legal advice, transactional requirements and litigation services. With eight attorneys and four full-time administrative staff members, the Law Department provides the City with both high-volume and high-quality legal services. 2017 was a very active year for the City, meaning that the Law Department had an extraordinary number of requests for service.

The Law Department also plays a significant role in the legislative activity of the City. For example, in 2017, the department prepared almost 700 resolutions and ordinances for consideration by the members of City Council. Some of that legislation, such as the new ordinance regulating short-term rentals, required extensive research, multiple drafts, participation in many public meetings and wide availability to City Council as well as City staff to provide guidance calculated to adopt a model ordinance which addresses a huge variety of competing interests. A staff attorney worked on legislation for implementing a bike share program; another staff attorney worked with the Office of Sustainability to vastly improve energy efficiency by restoring to the City the ownership and maintenance of its streetlights. The Law Department worked with various departments to make our City safer for pedestrian activity by drafting a new sidewalk ordinance.

As always, the City accomplishes much of what it does through partnering and contracting with others. Over the past year, City lawyers prepared or amended more than 575 contracts. Working with the Purchasing Department, a new long-term contract was negotiated which will ensure curbside pickup of trash and recycling for the next decade. A staff attorney worked with Community Development to prepare loan agreements, housing rehabilitation agreements, façade improvement agreements, home repair contracts and a multitude of other documents in aid of providing low-cost housing to our citizens most desperately in need of this assistance.

Defending the City in multiple forms of litigation is always one of the critical services provided by the Law Department. The City was served with litigation in about 60 new cases this year, the vast majority of which will be handled without the assistance of outside counsel. These cases present a wide variety of issues including land use regulations, constitutional issues, torts and personal injury, tax enforcement and labor and employment issues. During the year, the City resolved almost 55 separate lawsuits against the City, including dismissal of a 17-year-old case in which property owners had attempted to de-annex various important parcels of property located in the Pellissippi Parkway corridor. Thirty-two workers’ compensation cases were resolved. The City continues to pursue legal action in a number of cases to rid the City of blighted and unsafe property.

City attorneys were recognized by their peers throughout 2017 for their contributions to the community and to the profession. Deputy Law Director Ron Mills served as the governmental liaison to the Knoxville Bar Association. Crista Cuccaro was selected as part of the 2017 Greater Knoxville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” class. She also was elected to serve as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association, Secretary to the East Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women and as the East Tennessee representative and Technology Chair for the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women. Doug Gordon prepared and filed an amicus brief in the Tennessee Supreme Court on behalf of the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association about a tax issue important to municipalities all across the state. Gordon also became the Chair of the Bankruptcy Committee of the Tennessee Association of Property Tax Professionals.

Following the disturbing events occurring earlier this year in Charlottesville, members of the Law Department were instrumental in providing legal advice, planning and on-site legal advice at a significant protest event successfully managed by the Knoxville Police Department. The methods and procedures utilized by KPD at this event have served as a model in multiple other jurisdictions both inside and outside of Tennessee where potentially violent protests have occurred.

In conclusion, the City Law Department continues to provide a comprehensive array of legal advice and services to the City of Knoxville. We are proud to serve our citizens with great expertise, diligence and professionalism.

Listed below are the major activities undertaken and accomplishments attained by MPC during calendar year 2017. MPC serves both the City and Knox County, so the activities and accomplishments listed encompass projects, tasks and initiatives undertaken in the City of Knoxville and Knox County. The activities and accomplishments are listed by division. In many cases, staff from two or more divisions worked on a project; in those cases, the project is listed under the division that took the lead on the project.

Planning Services Division accomplishments

Market Square named Great Place in America

• An accomplishment that crossed division lines, and is the result of the work of the City of Knoxville, MPC, and the citizens of Knoxville, was the recognition of Knoxville’s Market Square as one of 15 Great Places in America by the American Planning Association.

Applications processed

• Planning Services processed more than 600 applications for rezoning, use-on-review, and concept plans in 2017.

Subdivision regulations updated

• The Knoxville-Knox County Minimum Subdivision Regulations underwent a major overhaul, and the updated regulations were approved by MPC in October 2017. The revised regulations will go into effect in February 2018.

Recode Knoxville project starts

• Recode Knoxville, the update to the City of Knoxville’s zoning ordinance, started in May 2017. Project goals are to support investment, protect assets uniquely Knoxville, and connect the community. As of November 30, 2017, contact had been made with more than 2,200 citizens through a survey and numerous meetings addressing the Recode project.

New guidelines for small cell wireless nodes along local roadways completed

• Tall cell towers are being supplemented with small cell applications to serve high demand areas, provide higher connection speeds, and make small cell technologies fit into the surrounding area. The new guidelines will provide standards for new applications located within public rights-of-way. Standards will be administered in both the City of Knoxville and Knox County.

New cell tower ordinance

• Wireless Communications Facilities ordinances for the City of Knoxville and Knox County were updated to identify priority areas for tower locations, incorporate new review and approval procedures, and establish updated standards for new towers. The goal of the updated ordinances is to enable the construction of new towers to provide enhanced service while protecting the citizens of Knoxville and Knox County.

East Knox County Community Plan

• MPC held four community meetings in 2016 and 2017 for the East Knox County Community Plan, which includes property located in the City. MPC approved the draft at its September 2017 meeting, and the plan was subsequently adopted by Knoxville City Council and Knox County Commission. MPC staff has drafted ordinance amendments to assist in implementation of the plan and is working with partners (Legacy Parks, French Broad Preservation Foundation) to undertake other actions recommended by the plan.

MPC connects with Great Schools Partnership to put focus on placemaking

• MPC welcomed Ben Epperson as Healthy Communities Project Manager. He is encouraging healthy communities with schools at their center through placemaking projects that transform unused public spaces. Epperson also worked with a team comprised of City of Knoxville Community Development Department, Knox County Health Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Area Urban League, and MPC staff on a project to promote healthier food choices at convenience stores.

Planners4Health

• Staff from MPC participated with the Tennessee Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville Civic Design Center and others in an initiative to integrate planning and public health at the local level for communities across the state.

Edgewood-Park City H-1

• At the request of City Council, MPC staff completed a comprehensive review and analysis of historically worthy areas to be considered as part of an expansion of Edgewood-Park City H-1 overlay to include areas within the Park City National Register Historic District. A final recommendation was made to City Council in November 2017.

• As of January 2017, participants can now log more than just workplace commutes – business trips, social outings, errands and more are now included.

2017-2020 TIP approved

• The 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program is a four-year investment program prioritizing multimodal transportation projects within the Knoxville region. $549 million is programmed through 2020 for improvements to roadways, bridges, transit systems, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

• “Mobility Plan 2040: Connecting People and Places” is our region’s long-range transportation plan to promote livability and prosperity. It prioritizes investment of federal dollars in our transportation system over the next 20 years and identifies all anticipated projects.

• TPO staff coordinated volunteers for the fourth Open Streets event, which had more than 2,500 participants turn out in spring 2017.

Open Streets Sevier Avenue

• TPO staff also coordinated volunteers for the fifth Open Streets, which drew hundreds of participants on a cold day in late October 2017.

Report and map analyzing pedestrian and bicycle crash data released

• TPO issued a regional summary covering five years of pedestrian and bicycle crashes, as well as reports for multiple jurisdictions analyzing patterns in crash locations and circumstances. An interactive map is available online.

Smart Trips wins 2017 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award

• TPO’s Smart Trips received the Pursuit of Excellence Award in the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship award program for continued growth of its incentive-based reward program for individuals making green trips.

• This document outlines major studies and planning activities that TPO staff and others will undertake for FY18 and FY 19.

Mayor Madeline Rogero receives Elected Official of the Year Award

• TPO/MPC staff nominated Mayor Rogero for the Elected Official of the Year Award from the national Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Mayor Rogero accepted the award at AMPO’s annual conference, held in October year in Savannah, Ga.

Adoption of TPO area wide Title VI Report

• The report analyzes where all sources of federal transportation funding are geographically distributed through transportation investments in the planning area.

11th annual Tour de Lights bike ride

• The Christmas in the City event brings hundreds of bicyclists downtown to enjoy holiday festivities and a group ride through the area’s historic neighborhoods.

MPC Information and Research Division accomplishments

Workforce Housing report

• The report, comprised of detailed data on housing, employment and income trends, showed that many working households in Knoxville and Knox County are spending more money on housing and transportation than they can afford.

• Data show that local building activity in 2016 saw a spike in residential investment. Statistics on building permits, rezonings and subdivisions are provided to lend detailed insights into local development trends.

Facts and Figures brochure

• The annual publication highlights cultural, civic, economic, tourism and transportation assets that Knoxville and surrounding area enjoy. It promotes our area to visitors and residents alike.

MPC Annual Report

• A summary look at the year’s development review, long-range planning, and support services work is presented. The report includes presentation of the agency’s 15 planning commissioners, the unaudited financial statement, and numerous photographs and infographics to inform readers of the many activities in which MPC engages throughout the year.

• MPC continuously collects, analyzes, and summarizes data releases from the U.S. Census Bureau. The agency makes the data more accessible by posting user-friendly collections on the MPC website. Staff assist with a hundred calls or more each year from business owners, non-profits, and citizens trying to complete business plans, understand demographic make-ups of neighborhoods, and find answers to many other research questions.

MPC library collection acquisitions and maintenance

• Thousands of reports, journals and books on a wide range of urban, rural and regional planning topics comprise MPC’s library collection. Also stored in the library are all ordinances, regulations, plans and studies published by MPC, digital case files dating back to 1939, and U.S. Census material from 1960 to present.

Participation in 2017 Office of Neighborhoods Conference

• Information and Research staff coordinated MPC’s role at the City’s Neighborhoods Conference. Several MPC staff made presentations during the numerous workshops, and other agency members staffed three information booths in the exhibitors hall.

Communications

• Hundreds of social media posts, press releases and news articles were disseminated throughout the year to keep citizens, elected officials, property developers and others engaged in and informed of agency activities and projects.

GIS, Web and Design Division accomplishments

Efforts in 2017 were focused on continuing to develop the MPC’s capabilities to distribute dynamic web-based content, incorporate high-quality graphic design to best present agency work, and deliver cartographic products serving agency projects and other City departments.

Web mapping support

• Staff worked with the Central Business Improvement District and Knoxville Area Transit to provide enhanced mapping capabilities within their websites. The mapping integrations allow more current and more dynamic information to be made available than many popular commercial websites.
Open Data Policy

• Knoxville city staff participated in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities program, an initiative that promotes the use of data to improve city services. The result was the creation of an Open Data Policy for the city. Through participating in the program, MPC also designed and adopted an Open Data Policy. An inventory of high-quality data was compiled, and a survey of local data users was completed. The results will be used to prioritize the release of data in 2018.

Urban Wilderness

• The growing network of trails and greenways in the area requires ongoing efforts to maintain maps used by the public, city and county departments and emergency responders. This year’s work included partnering with Legacy Parks to publish a new version of the Get Out and Play Guide, which contains dozens of maps of area parks and greenways. The project received the Outstanding Cartography award from the Tennessee Geographic Information Consortium.

Credit card payments

• As part of ongoing efforts to enhance customer service, staff worked to integrate electronic payment methods into transactions. Credit cards and electronic check processing and online payment options provide more options for customers doing business the agency.

• Partnered with the Neighborhood Codes Enforcement office to revive the “Fight the Blight” class, a five-session workshop covering all aspects of blight enforcement and remediation. Twenty individuals participated and received notebooks packed with information.

• Continued the monthly meetings of the Neighborhood Working Group on Blighted Property, providing opportunities for neighborhood representatives and City staff to discuss individual problem properties, City policies and programs on blight, resources for neighborhoods, and related issues.

• Assisted the Neighborhood Working Group as members conceived and initiated two successful anti-blight projects. The first one, a massive cleanup project, occurred in April at a mobile home park on Sutherland Avenue. The second event involved planting daffodil bulbs and cleaning up the parking lot in front of Sarah Moore Green Magnet Elementary School on Brooks Avenue. Both involved a wide range of partnering organizations.

Broadway Corridor Task Force

• Continued to meet periodically with the Broadway Corridor Task Force, which is now operating independently to encourage investment and address issues of concern along the corridor between Fifth Avenue and I-640.
Capacity building

• Conducted a variety of stand-alone workshops to address neighborhood concerns. Topics included tenant rights, making better use of KGIS, special needs of neighborhood groups in low-income neighborhoods, and the City’s grants program.

Emergency preparedness

• Strategized with KEMA, KPD and KFD on ways to sustain the Neighborhood Emergency Contact Network and continue to promote emergency preparedness at the neighborhood level.

• Updated the Emergency Preparedness Speaker Series and encouraged neighborhood groups to take advantage of the speakers and information offered.

Neighborhood Advisory Council

• Staffed the 15-member Neighborhood Advisory Council, which met 11 times over the course of the year to provide feedback and advice to the Administration as well as the Office of Neighborhoods. Issues included traffic calming, Recode Knoxville, short-term rentals, walkability, changes to cell phone tower regulations, and the question of whether minimum criteria should be established for a neighborhood organization to be recognized by the City. Speakers also covered Public Service and Solid Waste services, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, greenways, Legacy Parks, Office of Redevelopment projects, Bridge Refugee Services, and efforts by KPD and the Knox County Attorney General to utilize a state nuisance law to shut down criminal enterprises.

Neighborhood Advisory Newsletter

• Published 46 issues of the “almost weekly” Neighborhood Advisory newsletter and maintained the “Knoxville Neighborhoods” calendar on Google.com.

The Neighborhood Conference

• Hosted more than 700 participants at this annual gathering of neighborhoods. Features included 20 workshops on a wide variety of topics, more than 80 information booths, presentation of the Diana Conn Good Neighbor of the Year Award, a neighborhood T-shirt contest, door prizes, and networking among neighborhood leaders and city officials.
Neighborhood Small Grants Program

• Awarded new grants totaling $22,200 to seven neighborhood organizations for a wide range of community improvement and capacity building projects. Continued to administer and provide technical assistance under 35 grants, with 17 grants now successfully closed out.

Neighborhoods

• Provided advice and consultation services to neighborhood groups on a wide variety of subjects, and attended or spoke at more than 60 individual neighborhood meetings.

• Identified low-income neighborhoods through the AmeriCorps VISTA program, assisting 11 new neighborhoods and offering capacity building for more than 100 new neighbors.

• Updated the Neighborhood Directory of contacts as a resource to outside groups and individuals.

• Updated the Guest Speakers Guide as a resource for neighborhood groups to pull from when they are in need of speakers on specific topics.

• Created a Funders Guide for neighborhood organizations that might be seeking grant money for their projects.

• Mapped all Neighborhood Organizations with their boundaries onto a new KGIS layer. This new layer has features that help individuals find their neighborhood organization as well as contact information.

Partnerships

• Worked with Great Schools Partnership, Five Points Up, Knox County Health Department and other governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations with a mutual interest in revitalizing Knoxville’s neighborhoods.

Traffic calming

• Worked closely with the Engineering and Police Departments to launch the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program, and received and began processing 14 applications from neighborhood groups and individuals within unorganized neighborhoods.

• Served the community with volunteer efforts through “Give a Day Knoxville” initiatives at Mobile Meals, Zoo Knoxville, Second Harvest Food Bank and Fairgarden School as well as volunteering with the Empty Stocking Fund in December.

• Attendance at state and national conference (15 attended TRPA, 2 attended NRPA).

• Received eight awards at the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association State Conference.

• Completed Parks & Greenways by the Numbers infographic to display the many offerings and amenities available to the public.

• Generated more than $700,000 in revenue for FY18, the most in a fiscal year for Parks and Recreation, in large part to increases in programming options and online registration availability.

• Partnered with local youth sports commissions to offer recreational sports for 640 teams participating in baseball, basketball, football and softball. Offerings included a preseason tournament for the baseball, basketball and softball and postseason tournaments for all sports.

• Continued partnership with the Save Our Sons Initiative and Eternal Life Harvest Center’s outreach to offer “Safe Haven Gym” at Cal Johnson Recreation Center during the summer.

• Hosted 27 weekend tournaments/events at Caswell Park as well as continued Senior Fun Softball at the park on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

• Partnered with Office of Neighborhoods to host Neighborhood Wiffleball Challenge in June.

• Increased pickleball play opportunities with options to play in recreation centers throughout the year, adding pickleball lines to tennis courts at Edgewood, Inskip and Tyson parks, organized Sunday Fun Day offerings in spring 2017, and hosted two Pickleball Tournaments, with a combined total of 125 participants.

Maintenance

• Completed various improvement projects such as, but not limited to:o Gym floors refinished at three recreation centers – Cecil Webb, Cumberland Estates and South Knoxville.o Inskip Pool received a new ADA outdoor shower, refurbished volleyball courts with new sand, two new picnic shelters,12 new picnic tables, a new ADA drinking fountain / water bottle filler, a new ceiling in the women’s restroom, and extended the pool use area by 30 percent with new fencing.o Tyson Park – six tennis courts were repaved and all 14 courts were resurfaced and received repairs along with all new windscreens and tennis nets.o Lakeshore Administration Building – sidewalk connections from the building to the Lakeshore trail system along with restoration of the wrought iron fencing near the entrance.o Adair Park – pond restored and added a new spray fountain.o Malcolm-Martin Park – Two 8 x 30 dugouts with prefabricated roofing systems and concrete pads.o Forest Heights Pocket Park – new benches, play structures and landscaping.o Alice Bell Ballfields – new aluminum bleachers following removal of old concrete bleachers.

Parks / Greenways / Trails

• Continuous efforts toward multiple new greenway and trails projects throughout the City.

• Awarded more than $16,000 in Challenge Grants to nine organizations to be completed in spring 2018.

• Collaborated with engineering design firms and in subsequent design development for new greenway projects:o Love’s Creek to Millertown Pikeo Northwest Greenway Connector from Western Avenue to Victor Ashe Parko Second Creek Greenway from World’s Fair Park to Bernard Avenue.o Gateway to the Urban Wilderness / James White Parkway

• Mapped City trails and greenways with a Google Trekker device in partnership with MPC, which will be available on Google maps in 2018.

• Coordinated the Community Heritage Program for installation of trees and benches sponsored by individuals or organizations to honor loved ones.

Recreation

• Organized efforts to provide Christmas gifts to 63 children in after-school program, thanks to generous donations by City staff.

• Hosted the 12th annual Dr. E.V. Davidson Teen Step Show at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium with eight teams and 150 participants. The event focuses on teens and not only encourages fitness and friendly competition, but gives students a glimpse of what to expect as college students.

• Outreach:o Connected more than 1,000 at-risk children from summer and after-school programs to nontraditional sports, such as golf, martial arts, tennis, cross country, swimming and soccer;o Partnered with Ijams Nature Center to offer four weeks of an outdoor and nature camp for community children. 78 participants were involved in numerous activities, which included hiking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, standup paddle-boarding and educational nature activities and crafts;o Connected a new fitness program called “Learning the Ropes” at eight recreation centers and three schools;o Hosted the inaugural Jump Rope Showcase at the Dr. E.V. Davidson Community Center in May with more than 100 kids from nine sites;o Implemented the “Rally Cats” youth tennis program at 10 sites with more than 90 participants in partnership with USTA Tennessee, GKTA, and Deidra Dunn; ando Collaborated with Knoxville Youth Athletics to host a spring youth track meet with nine recreation centers and more than 200 kids.

• Dynamic recreation:o Continued programming for adults with disabilities including basketball, disc golf, power soccer, bocce ball, pickleball, kickball, bowling, BEEP kickball, flag football, tennis, yoga, cooking, and arts & crafts;
o Continued the 2nd annual Dynamic Pickleball Division for persons with disabilities as a part of the City Pickleball Tournament;o Created inaugural Unified Softball League for more than 40 persons with and without disabilities; and
o Hosted the 2nd annual Special Olympic Tennis Competition at West Hills Park.

• Recreation Centers and Senior Centers:o Provided a seven-week Summer Playground Program with more than 900 children at 10 sites; the program offered arts and crafts, field trips, sports, games and fitness activities;o Provided an After-School Program at 10 recreation centers with 576 registered children, with a daily average of more than 400;o Implemented new programs including park yoga, adult fitness classes, senior volleyball, sports skills clinics, “Tots on the Move,” and line dancing, among other programs offered;o Continued to offer programs to more than 650 older adults in our Senior Recreation Centers; programs focused on maintaining and increasing health through fitness and wellness screenings and also providing positive social experiences for older Americans in the buildings and through field trips;o Organized efforts through staff at the Dr. E.V. Davidson Recreation Center to start “12 Months of Community Service.” Theme months included coat drives, penny drives, a community cookout, and toy drives for teens at Children’s Hospital; ando Hosted the Youth Dance Competition at Cal Johnson Recreation Center with 30 participants and 100 spectators.

• Arts & Fine Craft Center:o Provided programming for more than 1,000 registered adult and youth participants in more than 100 classes and activities through the Knoxville Arts and Fine Craft Center. Offerings include crafts, photography, dance, pottery, painting, sewing and music.

• Stormwater Engineering’s front desk has integrated with Plans Review & Inspections in anticipation of consolidation into a Development Services Department.

• Completed a Bloomberg Philanthropies What Work Cities initiative that helps mid-sized American cities to enhance their use of data and evidence to improve services while engaging residents and informing policy makers. Developed an online dashboard showing City goals aimed at reducing blight and tracking progress toward these goals.

• Implemented a proactive approach by working with Community Development on façade grant projects. Meetings are held prior to the façade grant design submittal to facilitate the project through the zoning and plans review process.

• Participated in the Tennessee Municipal Benchmarking Project and attended the annual meeting to compare with other cities and ensure that Knoxville operates with the best practices across the state.

• Staff has increased the knowledge and versatility of the department by taking and passing certification tests. Ten employees passed certification tests.

Statistics

• Reviewed more than 346 electronic plan submittals.

• Total valuation of all building projects exceeded $548 million.

•Plans reviewed and permits issued – decreased 8 percent since 2016.

• PR& I inspections performed – decreased 21 percent since 2016.

• Revenue increased by 2 percent since 2016.

• Issued more than 2,734 permits for CAC/KEEM (energy-efficiency upgrades for low-income households) and completed more than 1,278 homes since September 2015.

• Neighborhood Codes performed at a proactive rate of 70.4 percent, increasing 1 percent since 2016.

• Increased outreach to the public by performing two neighborhood sweeps, attending 13 neighborhood meetings or working groups, coordinating and assisting in two Neighborhood Working Group service projects, and staffing a booth at the Neighborhood Conference.

• Increased public education by presenting at the Neighborhood Conference, the Tenant Rights Workshop, and facilitating a five-week Fight the Blight Workshop.

• Twenty-four projects were reviewed by the Administrative Review Committee under the Form Base Code process. Seven new projects were submitted, six sign projects, six carry-over projects from 2016, and five modifications to previously approved projects. Twenty-two projects have received Development Plan Review Certification, and two projects are in process of resolving comments to move forward with approval.

• More than 145 Mobile food Units have been inspected and permitted (includes renewals).

• Anticipate more than 1,200 licensed sub-contractors based on renewals sent out.

• Plans Review & Inspections led a total of 33 Pre-submittal Conferences. This number increased 38 percent from 2016. Pre-submittal Conferences help ensure successful projects when submitted for the official plans review. This service is provided at no cost to the applicant.

• Twenty-five Expedited Plan Reviews were completed. Process is gaining popularity due to being able to receive permits the same day. Increased from one review in 2016. Positive feedback has been received from architects, engineers, contractors and property owners who have participated in this process. This service is provided with no additional cost to the applicant.

• Provided security and traffic assistance to more than 190 special events throughout the city.

• The department received reaccreditation through the Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

• Established the first Overdose Death Investigation Task Force in the country in collaboration with the Appalachian HIDTA, the DEA, the Knox County District Attorney and the Knox County Medical Examiner.

• Tested 281 applicants for police officer, interviewed 151 of them and selected and completed backgrounds on 60 of them.

• Tested 31 applicants for police cadet, interviewed 23 of them and selected and completed backgrounds on 12 of them.

• Conducted 49 promotions for various ranks of police officer and one Sergeant promotion.

• Renovated offices at 5th Avenue for Forensics and Animal Control and paved parking lot.

• Moved ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) offices to new site.

• Created the “Hall of Honor” at the Safety Building.

• Managed 25 federal, state and foundation grants totaling more than $5.5 million, which included 11 grant-funded positions.

• Trained all officers in elder abuse awareness in collaboration with the Enhanced Training and Services to End Violence and Abuse of Women Later in Life Grant.

• Trained two new Forensic Firearms Examiners.

• Created the KPD-coached Female Lacrosse Team with assistance from U.S. Lacrosse Foundation Grant. KPD has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley to introduce the sport to girls in middle school.

• Created the Eddie Eagle Firearms Safety Program funded by the NRA Foundation.

• Created the “If you can read you can be…” program on literacy with assistance from the Target Foundation.

• Continued the Life Saving Naloxone Program with funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation. Seventy-four lives have been saved by officers this year due to this program.

• Hired and trained a Wounded Warrior to assist in the ICAC program through the HERO program.

• Collected and disposed of 1.69 tons of unwanted and unused medication.

• Automated the Office of Secondary Employment.

• Created an Internet-based public access program for members of the public seeking to hire off-duty police officers for secondary employment.

• Created and awarded the Officer Mike Waggoner Leadership Award.

• Participated in the Safe Haven Basketball Program.

• Hired a Victim Advocate for the Violent Crimes Unit to serve victims and families of violent crimes.

• Special Crimes Unit presented the course on avoiding dating violence to more than 2,200 area high school students.

• The Teleserve Unit completed more than 9,500 offense reports.

• More than 76,700 members of the community entered the Safety Building through the entry checkpoint.

• 39 new officers and three new cadets graduated the KPD Training Academy.

• 20 members of our community graduated the 59th Citizens Police Academy.

• A record 53 community groups participated in National Night Out.

• First-ever Coffee with A Cop with Chick-fil-A.

• Nine new Neighborhood Watch programs began this year.

• Safety City hosted 18,820 visitors.

• Upgraded In-car camera system in patrol cars.

• Upgraded the Safety Building Video Surveillance System.

• Crime Analysis Unit created an internal comprehensive offender database that identifies potential suspects based on information gathered during preliminary investigations that has successfully identified serious offenders who have committed offenses where limited information was available.

• Completed training includes: leadership training for all managers; customer service for all staff; OSHA and fire safety training; and harassment in the workplace training. Two managers completed 30-hour OSHA compliance training, and SMG instituted safety walkthroughs and follow-up protocols for each new facility. Multiple managers attended SMG K’nekt training for event management and sales expertise.

• Each facility now has its own “employee recognition” program.

• All three facilities are now on software from Knoxville-based EventBooking, where calendars can be shared between venues. As such, on multiple occasions this year, SMG was able to immediately respond to a meeting planner, promoter or Visit Knoxville quickly about space availability at any venue. On several occasions, it has prevented loss of a group to another city or location, such as moving American Cornhole from the Knoxville Convention Center (KCC) to the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center (CPEC).

• Since hiring a social media marketing manager, social engagement has improved in four short months, and now all facilities are represented on multiple social media platforms.

• Servant leadership is part of the SMG Knoxville culture. Staff has volunteered 2,043 hours for the 2017 year, an increase of 321 hours from the previous year. This improvement is significant given how busy the team has been with the transition.

• Hosted three Boys and Girls Clubs interns at Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum (KCAC), and KCC’s Housekeeping team worked with four Boys & Girls Youth Force classes to satisfy their needs for community service hours.

Accolades

• KCAC Office Manager Jamie Cunningham won the 2016 Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association “2016 Tourism Employee of the Year for the State of Tennessee” at the Stars of the Industry awards held at the Tennessee Governors Conference.

• KCAC Event Manager Brent Lackey won the “2017 Tourism Employee of the Year Award” given by the Greater Knoxville Hospitality Association (GKHA) and will go on to represent Knoxville at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

• KCC was recognized by Facilities and Destinations magazine as a “Prime Site Venue” for the 11th year in a row.

• CPEC was nominated for an "Orchid Award" from Keep Knoxville Beautiful for its efforts to bring public art to the venue.

• SMG Knoxville’s in-house AV company M&M Productions USA won the “2016 Service Supplier of the Year” at the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association’s Stars of the Industry awards.

• KCAC’s cleaning service, K&W, won a City of Knoxville 2016 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Award.

• SMG Knoxville was recognized by the Knoxville Chamber as a finalist in the 2016 Pinnacle Awards for excellent service and growth in the medium-sized business category.

• KCC SAVOR Food & Beverage team received the REAL Certification. This is the nationally-recognized mark of excellence for food and food-service operators that have gone through a rigorous process to evaluate the healthfulness and sustainability of the food. REAL stands for Responsible (our food provides nutritional benefit), Epicurean (our food preparation enhances the quality and experience), Agricultural (our food comes from the safest and highest quality sources), and Leadership (we enable better choices in the community, such as through our utilization of solar panels).

• KCAC won a grant from the Knox County Health Department to furnish a lactation room at the Civic Auditorium.

• KCC won “Gold” status for the KCC Wellness Program from the East Tennessee Wellness Roundtable from the Knox County Health Department.

• City of Knoxville approved a $2 million request to upgrade roof and systems at the Knoxville Convention & Exposition Center. These upgrades are already underway with the Public Building Authority, as teams from KCC and Visit Knoxville are working to rebrand the facility to take on overflow of the newer KCC.

• Social media presence increases in four months:o Facebook gained 739 new page likes, increasing the average post reach by 47.2 percent and actions/engagement by 159 percent.o On Twitter, earned 20,600 impressions.o Instagram was an untapped platform and once started has increased engagement by 1,180 percent and tracked impressions at 920 percent.

• In partnership with Visit Knoxville, incentive dates provided for new sporting groups, along with storage for the new sports flooring. This is a huge asset for our market that will attract future sporting events.

• The Visit Knoxville-sponsored KCC ShowNets Wi-Fi deal was negotiated and is up and running. Via this agreement, complimentary Wi-Fi is now throughout the building (excluding the exhibit hall).

• New carpet designed, selected and installed.

• KCC received a new roof.

• KCC added Premier Parking Valet Parking Service.

• KCC took security back in-house.

• Host to the second annual Tomato Crush at KCC. This event repurposes Grainger County tomatoes into marinara sauce for Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB). This year, more than 70 volunteers in main kitchen produced more than 1,100 gallons of sauce for SHFB to service their 18-county region.

Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum (KCAC)

• The KCAC beat its FY 17 budget by $89,000 with 128 bookings, 521 use days and 307,152 in attendance.

• KCAC has effectively been reintroduced to the concert and event world. Local SMG leadership attended industry events such as Pollstar and the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) to meet with promoters and tell them about the facility and Knoxville. Attendance at both conferences was successful in building relationships with LiveNation, Premier Concerts, NS2, Big Spring Entertainment and others.

• Social media at the KCAC is our best way to connect with the concertgoer. In only four months on Facebook, we have increased the average post reach by 277 percent, and actions / engagement increased by 303 percent. On Twitter, tweets earned 46,500 impressions, and on Instagram, we have increased engagement by 144 percent.

• Restructured RV Football Parking and sold out of 18 full-hook-up spots for the season after restriping the lot, as well as providing better communication and services with increased rates.

• Completed a new event guide and launched a new website along with bi-weekly concert announcement newsletters to promote events in the building. The subscription list has grown in short order to more than 5,000 recipients.

• Renovated the administrative offices and Auditorium upper- and lower-stage left dressing rooms.

• Team KCAC served as a drop-off location for donated items for first responders and evacuees of the Smoky Mountain wildfires in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The staff and visitors to the facility brought in donations that filled a tractor trailer, which was delivered to the Gatlinburg evacuee distribution center.

• Have added a new ATM to the Auditorium lobby, and the facility now has two ATMs servicing both the Auditorium and the Coliseum sides.

• VIP boxes for Ice Bears hockey games were created on the south end of the arena and sold out for the season. Also upgraded the existing boxes with fresh paint, new pipe and drape, black leather cushioned chairs, food and beverage tables and upgraded food and beverage offerings. This enhanced the experience for the 2016-17 hockey season, and more upgrades are coming to the opening of the hockey season this year.

• Successfully hosted the Knoxville PrideFest event on Mary Costa Plaza, achieving the highest attendance ever, and the client wants to return. This event set the pace for future Mary Costa festival-type events, and SMG is already making changes and upgrades for the future.

• Completed fly-rail replacement in the auditorium stage-house, conducted structural studies of the parking garages, conducted a structural study of rigging capacity in the coliseum, cleared out the stage-house, polished the stage flooring and cleaned up all back of house areas including “the museum.”

• Transitioned from UT’s Knoxville Tickets to TicketMaster. Promoters are very happy about this move, and SMG hopes to utilize the marketing and customer feedback portals to promote and improve the facility and guest/fan experience.

• Worked with Spectra, KCAC concessionaire, to add additional points-of-sale for large shows. For example, captured highest per-cap for any event with the “I Love the 90s” concert, where patrons spent an average of $13.06 during the show – nearly double what is typically spent. These additions in points of sale increase revenues and provide faster service to guests, allowing the venue to hit an all-time high in revenues for last year in food and beverage sales at $1,036,172.

• This year, visited the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala., a similar market, to see their renovations and attendee offerings and to understand more about the relationship they have with their hockey team. Also supported our IceBears as they brought home a win against the Huntsville Havoc!

• Announced that YouTube sensation Darren Knight would perform his standup routine June 16-17 at the Auditorium. The show had more than 4,000 Facebook shares and increased Facebook likes by 12 percent in one week. The show sold out in one day. A second show was added to accommodate the high demand, and it sold out, too.

• Appeared in Pollstar Magazine’s Backstage Photo Pass four times with artists Jim Gaffigan, Darren Knight, Alabama and Kenny Rogers with Coolio. This visibility puts the KCAC in the forefront with concert promoters.

Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center

• The CPEC beat its FY 17 budget by $77,000 and hosted 124 events with 252,643 attendees for booked events. This is an increase of 13 percent from the previous year.

• In partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Arts & Culture Alliance and the Knoxville Public Arts Committee, CPEC celebrated a commissioned mural by local artist Brandon Donahue by hosting a ribbon-cutting on the first day of the Tennessee Valley Fair.

• CPEC team visited Dollywood and met with their operations team to get lighting ideas for Christmas in Chilhowee Park. Subsequently, purchased a new LED Christmas tree for the bandstand.

• Successfully hosted new events, booking rap artists A$ap Ferg and Gucci Mane over one weekend. Also held first Hispanic rodeo featuring music from the Grammy Award-winning group Calibre 50. Finished strong by hosting the first-ever “Vintage Market Days” with record attendance for the Jacob Building – 12,000 attendees over one weekend, and this will now be a semiannual event.

• Partnered with Visit Knoxville to rebrand the park with a new logo, designed and launched a new website complete with a new event guide, and cleaned up and improved the multiple social media pages.

• On Facebook, increased average post reach 207 percent and actions/engagement increased by 300 percent. On Twitter, tweets earned 12,300 impressions. Instagram was an untapped platform, increased engagement by 471 percent in the four months since its launch.

• CPEC created an online reservation system and protocols for use of the three picnic shelters to make using the facilities by the community a seamless process that is similar to the City’s Parks and Recreation reservation system.

• Due to attrition, outsourced landscaping to minority / local business owner B&B Landscaping. This arrangement saves money and resources while providing a better overall product. Other landscaping projects included second annual “Beautification Day,” at which more than 40 volunteers helped park staff with varied landscaping projects. Replaced dead and dying magnolias at the entrance of Zoo Drive and removed the aged cherry trees from the front of the Jacob Building.

• CPEC worked with 12 Tennessee Promise (TP) students, providing general landscaping services. The Park Director mentored 10 TP kids throughout the year and has hired one as a part-time worker.

• The Chilhowee Park team has worked to increase presence within the local markets. This year, had an increase in bookings from the Latino community booking four Quinceaneras, a two-day Spanish religious event, two wedding receptions and a concert with rodeo featuring Grammy Award-winning Mariachi band Calibre 50.

• CPEC is host to the Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meetings. Also hosted their National Neighborhood Night Out picnic for the group

• Public Service had another transition during the 2017 calendar year as Deputy Director Sheryl Ely accepted the role of Parks and Recreation Director. With this change, Rachel Butzler, the previous Solid Waste Manager, was promoted to Deputy Director, and Patience Melnik was hired as Solid Waste Manager. Melnik was the previous Executive Director at Keep Knoxville Beautiful and will be a great addition to the Public Service Department staff.

• Completed implementation of the Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system as every fleet vehicle now has a unit installed.

• Hired 30 new employees and promoted 50 employees.

• Hired six employees to participate in our Second Chance Program.

Supply and logistics

• Continued to work on and improve adult and juvenile Saturday program that allows for community service to reduce litter and perform other tasks for the City.

• Worked with schools and other community service programs to perform community beautification efforts involving school-aged kids, provide presentations on Public Works, and represent the Public Service Department with many special events.

• Completed a successful inventory.

• Reorganized the warehouse in preparation for the move of Engineering Department’s inventory being absorbed.

• Reduced inventory over the year to keep only needed items in stock for each job.

• Decreased the amount of write-off from the warehouse to its lowest point in more than 20 years.

• Contracted business with 70 percent of vendors being small business, minority-owned, or woman-owned.

Construction

• Accomplished numerous high-priority projects during 2017, including the completion of more than 4,000 work orders.

• Collaborated on the development and construction of the Zaevion Dobson Memorial Park located in the Lonsdale community. This project was a collaboration of four construction crews, local businesses, KCDC, a playground contractor, and other City departments. Public Service was tasked with building a new park with only a rough sketch to work from, designing the work with the help of the Engineering Department’s survey crew, grading filling to get the park at an accessible grade, and performing all the concrete and asphalt work with a new access trail and landscaping. The park was completed ahead of schedule, despite weather delays, and with the cooperation of so many volunteers and entities.

• Placed more than 1,200 tons of asphalt while repairing roadways, patching potholes, paving greenways, and resurfacing parking lots for KPD, KFD, Parks and Recreation and the City’s Fleet Services Department. This includes a new ADA accessible parking area at Baker Creek Preserve, spot repairs for two Open Streets events, patch work to ensure safety during the USA Cycling event, and repaving a damaged section of the James White Parkway near downtown Knoxville.

• Responded to neighborhood requests to enhance the walk to school for students at Green Elementary, Vine Middle and South-Doyle Middle. Concrete crews also poured concrete footings and sidewalks to accommodate a new KAT bus stop and awning system, a new driveway and parking area KFD Fire Station No. 4 in East Knoxville, and reworked the driveway apron to the City’s Solid Waste Transfer Station while pouring new concrete for the driveway and accessible sidewalk.

• Completed a project at the Wesley House near Beardsley Farm as the buses were struggling to access the parking lot due to the damaged driveway approach. The concrete crew reworked the curb and gutter, sidewalk, driveway and road access to accommodate buses at this location.

• Constructed a new sidewalk, crosswalk, curb and gutter, asphalt area for accessible parking, fill dirt and topsoil for trails and maintenance, rock, boulders and timbers for new play area, bridge decking and trail connection to South-Doyle School. All this was at or near the Baker Creek Preserve.

• New Greenways Crew completed 63 trail maintenance projects and constructed more than 1.3 miles of new trails. The crew developed new trails at Charter Doyle Park, Sam Duff Park, Dobson Park, Fort Dickerson Park and Baker Creek Preserve.

• Helped to reconfigure the section over the railroad tracks on the Neyland Drive Greenway in order to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. This crossing had been the cause of numerous bicycle accidents and was in dire need of repair.

• Developed a new parking lot and access road to the swimming area at Fort Dickerson Quarry in cooperation with other departments and the Aslan Foundation. This included clearing, grading, placing rock, fencing, boulders and a new trail connection in South Knoxville for park goers to access the newly opened swimming hole safely.

• Repaired several of the City's main stormwater thoroughfares throughout the year. These include:o Sinkhole repair at the Zoo Knoxville entrance and KPD Training Centero A Central Avenue Pike roadway failureo Broadway infrastructure failureo Cedar Bluff and Middlebrook Pike overnight repairs, ando More than a dozen cross-drain replacements ahead of the annual paving contract.

• Cleaned approximately 9,000 linear feet of storm drain pipe and more than 10,000 feet of ditch lines. A neighborhood drainage project was completed on a City-owned lot in North Knoxville to help alleviate flooding and increase aesthetics for the neighbors and community. Work was started on another neighborhood project located near the University of Tennessee in downtown Knoxville on Grand Avenue at 18th Street to prevent flooding of local businesses.

• Demolished a blighted building at Lakeshore Park as part of the new redevelopment project. Removed several sets of damaged bleachers at Alice Bell Ball Park in efforts to make it safer for spectators and guests while coordinating with the Parks and Recreation Department.

• The crew also demolished 50 other houses, cleaned vacant lots and illegal dumping at more than 800 locations, boarded up more than 80 structures, and mowed nearly 1,800 overgrown lots.

• Assisted with hosting the annual American Public Works Association conference this year. The Construction Division along with assistance from other Public Service crews worked diligently to make the conference a success while simultaneously making Knoxville shine as a city to work and live in. Crews spent countless hours cleaning and maintaining all conference venues and even patched asphalt and potholes to make the walk and drive to the facilities safer. During the conference, the heavy equipment rodeo was held and went off without a hitch. Crews ensured that all spectators and competitors had a safe and fair experience at the equipment rodeo.

• Recycled as much waste and landfill material as possible. Construction crews hauled loads of top soil and fill dirt to be reused on other job sites, picked through debris piles to haul brush and limbs to mulching facilities, and delivered old concrete and asphalt to manufacturing plants to be broken down and reused. This saves the City money from paying the per-ton price of debris at the landfill. Any and all scrap metal found and hauled in was placed in Dumpsters and sent to metal recycling facilities, which generates revenue to be placed back in the City’s General Fund.

Horticulture

• Planted new landscaping beds at the Public Works Service Center; this also included wildflower and sunflower gardens.

• Supported Urban Forestry by removing and hauling off numerous ash trees on the Third Creek greenway that had Emerald Ash Borer disease.

•Supported volunteer groups in re-establishing walking paths and clearing overgrowth at Odd Fellows Cemetery and delivered mulch to several schools and community groups for various landscaping projects.

• Removed countless limbs and repaired drainage problems along walking trails with major improvements at Third Creek, Will Skelton, West Hills and Turkey Creek greenways.

• Prepped and managed an urban forest of more than 25,000 public trees (13,818 street trees and 12,581 trees in parks and public spaces) in maintained areas and thousands of other trees in natural areas and along City rights-of-way.

• Responded to 300 tree-related emergencies during and after severe weather events, contributing to 1,474 hours of work; 275 of these hours were overtime clearing trees from public streets.

• Conducted more than 475 tree risk assessments on different trees and sites to determine if trees were within an acceptable threshold of risk for the public.

• Removed 921 trees that were deemed significant safety or health issues for the public.

• Picked up more than 350 loads of brush from tree removal and pruning projects totaling over 2 million pounds and began a partnership with Zoo Knoxville on utilizing some of the brush for wildlife food.

• Planted more than 1,267 trees during the 2015-2016 planting contract.

• Watered 4,450 trees during the 2017 growing season.

• Provided outreach and education to more than 30 different organizations, neighborhoods groups and institutions.

• Inventoried more than 5,000 trees, planting sites, or stumps located on public property.

• Wrapped up the downtown improvement project where more than 1,000 trees in the Central Downtown Improvement District were properly pruned.

• Worked with Knoxville Botanical Garden to continue operating the Missouri Gravels beds for growing root systems on bare root trees and help minimize planting costs.

• Worked with Trees Knoxville on several tree planting projects including planting trees at Zaevion Dobson Memorial Park, and at several schools as part of the Canopy for Campuses campaign.

• Developed the Volunteer Forester Program, a five-week training course, where more than 50 community volunteers learned about proper tree care practices in order to assist their community in future tree-related issues.

• The City of Knoxville was recognized as a Tree City USA for the 26th consecutive year.

• Removed more than 100 ash trees along City right-of-way and within City parks and treated more than two dozen other ash trees as Emerald Ash Borer continues to kill Knoxville’s ash tree population.

• Conducted structural prunes on more than 600 young trees throughout the City to ensure these large-growing trees develop proper branch structure and help prevent tree failure during storm events.

• Worked with Engineering on overseeing tree planting on capital projects and redevelopment sites, including Jackson Avenue, Fort Dickerson Park, River’s Edge Riverwalk, Cumberland Avenue, and the Public Works Service Center.

• Conducted two chainsaw safety classes for Public Service employees and continue to hold annual tree care maintenance classes.

Facilities Services

• Installed a new HVAC system in the west bedroom at Fire Department Headquarters.

• Helped with the total renovation of Fire Station No.12.

• Made several improvements at Inskip Pool, including replacing the sand in the volleyball area and repairing the retaining wall that holds the sand in.

• Painted five buildings in the Loraine Street complex to match the color scheme of the new buildings.

• Helped Fleet with its move from the temporary building back to the renovated building.

• Added compressed air system to the Small Engine Shop and outdoor lighting on the west side of the Heavy Shop.

• Built a fluids storage shed for Fleet.

• Converted the lights at the two indoor swimming pools to LED lights, which will cut down on utilities and maintenance calls to repair the older fluorescent fixtures.

• Installed three new ADA-compliant lift chairs at the swimming pools.

• Plowed and spread salt on roughly 2,691 lane miles, successfully keeping the roadways passable and the public safe.

Service Area 1

• Helped finish up the delivery of the garbage carts to every household in January as part of the original rollout. Since then, Public Service has delivered an additional 2,668 carts, mostly to hard-to-find addresses, missed duplexes and newly-constructed houses.

• Delivered an additional 3,500 recycle carts to residences to help expand the curbside recycling program.

• As downtown continues to grow, and needs for service change, Public Service has been able to reclassify a position to get an additional garbage truck driver for downtown.

• Purchased an additional recycling truck to beef up efforts to keep downtown Knoxville one of the cleanest cities in the Southeast.

• Maintained routine cleanups of homeless camps. This effort keeps hundreds of tons of trash off of City streets and waste out of our Urban Wilderness areas and streams.

• Continued to see more and more attendees at special events as downtown population grows and developments are completed. Also continuing to see more people come from all over to attend events. As just one example, a woman who came to visit Knoxville a couple of years ago from Canada just happened upon the Dogwood Arts Festival. This year, she brought a whole group here for it. That bodes well for Knoxville that people enjoy the city so much that they make it a vacation destination to enjoy our many events that staff and volunteers work hard to support.

Service Area 2

• Added three staff members to our Public Service Worker I labor force.

• Provided snow and ice removal services by working 24/7 on the lone snow event of 2017. Followed the Snow Plan and kept streets open for police, fire and ambulance service, KAT and the general public.

• Completed safety “toolbox talks” on a weekly basis.

• Provided litter and garbage removal along with street maintenance services for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade and the Austin-East Homecoming.

• Expanded efforts of sweeping and maintaining bicycle lanes for everyday use as well as for numerous events such as the Knoxville Marathon and other races in South Knoxville.

• Aided in brush and debris removal in conjunction with communitywide efforts to enhance the Baker Creek Preserve and several other new Urban Wilderness areas.

• Assisted the Knox County Sheriff’s Office inmate work crews by removing debris from several sites, most recently from the fence lines around Hillwood Avenue and James White Parkway.

• Participated in several community outreach events by doing multiple Open Streets events and attending various neighborhood and community meetings.

• Edited and added to the City’s Snow Plan involving service of routes in South and East Knoxville.

• Conducted multiple days of cleanup work for the Dogwood Arts Trail, including continual leaf, brush and litter collection daily throughout the event.

• Worked to transition Class B Commercial Driver’s License drivers to Class A drivers and in the process added new drivers to our team. Currently, only four employees without some form of CDL. This zone has a CDL practice test book to encourage those without CDLs to get them.

• Worked to clean and maintain the concrete medians on Sevier Avenue and Anita Road.

• Assisted the Horticulture Department with brush removal from their cleanup of Sam Duff Field as well as Charter Doyle Park.

Service Area 3

• Cleaned and assisted in upkeep of alleys.

• Sprayed herbicides and trimmed bushes and weeds.

• Picked up bulk trash and cleaned up illegal dump sites.

• Employed and trained five new City employees and two employees who were new Service Area 3 employees.

• Had one long-time employee along with several others obtain their Class A CDL license.

Service Area 4

• Cleared all power poles of bushes and high weeds.

• Cleared and mapped all fire hydrants in the service area.

• Started a list of all trees and low-hanging limbs that need to be cut off by Urban Forestry so Public Service boom trucks and sweeper can service the area.

• Worked with Codes Enforcement in stopping tree trimmers from dumping and to get them to haul off tree debris.

• Identified hundreds of cuts and sinkholes that needed to be repaired by utility service providers.

• Completed several extra trimmings this year in alleys due to a longer growing season.

• Worked to clean up two big projects that the KCSO inmate crews completed.

• Completed many special projects to identify and remove sight distance issues.

• Had the featured Dogwood Trail in this area and worked diligently to get the trail open and looking good.

Service Area 5

• Hired and trained two Public Service Worker I employees.

• Reduced line-of-sight complaints by resourceful use of personnel and equipment. This reduced customer complaints by 25 percent.

• Contributed help to other service areas in brush collection.

Service Area 6

• Continued the upkeep and the clearing of many line-of-sight issues in Zone 6 that had been in need of attention.

• Continued weekly Toolbox Safety talks/training, which contributed to a decrease in workplace injuries.

• Enhanced the beauty of Dogwood Trails by continuously monitoring those specific areas and staying on top of any issues that arose.

• Cleaned drainage ditches of debris and trash after storms.

• Paid close attention to school zones by cleaning sidewalks, sweeping streets, etc., for the safety of Knox County students.

• Provided an extra service to the citizens in Zone 6 by picking up bulk trash when necessary and spraying herbicides to control undesirable vegetation.

• Helped two new employees obtain their CDL. This accomplishment, obtained in cooperation with the Master Equipment Operator, helps both the employee and the City.

Solid Waste

• Overhauled citywide curbside garbage collection with distribution of standardized garbage carts to approximately 60,000 households at no additional charge to residents. The new standardized carts are a key component in modernizing and improving the City’s household garbage collection. The move to standardized trash receptacles increased the efficiency, safety, health and aesthetic aspects of residential garbage collection – at a nearly $2 million-a-year savings to taxpayers.

• In the past, households could place anything at the street (clean-outs, construction and renovation materials, eviction materials, business/commercial waste), and the contractor crew would haul it away. In January 2017, the City implemented a “contents of cart program,” so property owners doing a renovation or a major clean-out must pay Waste Connections for an extra cart, or take the bulk materials to a Knox County Convenience Center, or take it to the City’s transfer station, 1033 Elm St. (free for City residents on the first Saturday of each month). The result of the new contents of cart program: Neighborhoods are cleaner, with less fly-away litter and neater set-outs that are in compliance with the curbside residential trash collection program.

• Continued education of responsible solid waste practices, focusing on re-use, waste reduction and recycling, including tabling events, neighborhood meetings, and other special events.

• Another 452 carts on request since the last rollout in September 2017.

• Removed glass from the curbside recycling program to ensure the continued success of single-stream recycling; the Solid Waste Office performed extensive communication efforts to educate the community and saw a significant increase in amount of glass separated and taken to the recycling drop-off centers.

Transfer Station

• Completed installation of the second new compactor in April.

• Received a $500,000 grant from the state of Tennessee for the expansion and operation of the Household Hazardous Waste facility. This will also include an additional HHW Technician and a mobile unit to collect HHW from surrounding counties.

• Processed 781 requisitions into contracts, standard purchase orders and blanket purchase orders for a total value of $63,422,811.

• Processed another 18,205 “Quick Purchase Orders” for a total value of $10,808,883.

• Successfully ran the City’s P-Card program consisting of thousands of transactions totaling approximately $1.8 million in value.

• In sum, the Purchasing Division purchased approximately $76 million worth of products and services (of all types) for the City.

• A few noteworthy procurement projects were:o The sidewalk replacement and road resurfacing projects;o The guardrail replacement project;o Fly rail system for the Coliseum;o Funding for improvements to historic buildings;o Design and construction of curtain rigging at the Coliseum;o Ammunition and Tasers for the Police Department;o Turnout gear and pumper trucks for the Fire Department; ando Renovation of the Sanitary Laundry site.

Contract management

• Closed 204 old purchase orders to de-obligate (free up) a grand total of $825,735 for use by the various operating departments.

• Successfully selected a proposal and negotiated a purchase sale agreement with Dover Development for the State Supreme Court site. In April 2017, the Purchase and Sales Agreement of $2.6 million was approved by City Council. Currently negotiating Development Agreement.

• Assisted the Public Building Authority (PBA) in providing parking enforcement on all new parking meters Downtown and in the Cumberland Avenue area.

•Set the stage for the redevelopment of a number of buildings north of the railroad tracks along Depot Avenue through public/private partnerships.

• Coordinated with KUB to restore old streetlight poles on a section of Union Avenue.

• Coordinated with Engineering on resurfacing of streets downtown.

• Coordinated with PBA on lower level parking in the State Street Garage.

• Assisted Public Art Committee on development of park and art on the 200 block of South Gay Street.

• Assisted Public Art Committee in purchase and completion of a mural on steps off of Cumberland Avenue, purchase of a sculpture for the State Street Garage, and purchase and installation of an art piece on Gay Street.

• Advised and helped coordinate the installation of traffic control box wraps in the downtown area.

• Partnered with Engineering on construction on 700 block of Gay Street, which included the reconstruction of intersection medallions at Church, Cumberland and Clinch along Gay in addition to enhanced sidewalks and on-street parking.

• Executed a contract for the construction of Marble Alley Streetscapes project to include new sidewalks, street lights and landscaping on State Street, Central Street and Commerce Avenue to support Marble Alley Lofts; Marble Alley Streetscapes completed spring 2017.

• Construction of the south side streetscape of East Jackson Avenue completed as part of the Old City streetscapes project from State Street to Central Avenue.

• Construction of the north side of East Jackson Avenue from the Jackson Avenue ramp to Central.

• City entered into an agreement with TDOT to construct a public riverwalk connector under the Henley Bridge as part of the redevelopment of the two sites.

• The 134-unit luxury style River’s Edge Apartments is complete. The project includes the realignment of Island Home Avenue with a new tree-lined streetscape with bike lanes and on-street parking and an 800-foot public riverwalk.

• Agreement with PBA to manage and operate the new Riverwalk parking garage and its surface lots.

• Assisted Traffic Engineering with traffic signal upgrades as part of the Blount Avenue Streetscape improvements.

• Received NEPA Environmental Approval of CE Documentation for Sevier Avenue Streetscapes determining no significant impacts for the proposed new roadway improvements. Received NTP for right-of-way services.

• Advertised for right-of-way services, appraisal services and appraisal review for the acquisition of easements and right-of-way for the Sevier Avenue Streetscapes Improvement Project.

• Continued to coordinate and work collaboratively with South Waterfront Form-Based Code Administrator and Plans Review and Inspections Department.

• Maintained the South Waterfront Blog with the City’s Communications Department.

• Continued to work with South Knoxville Elementary School as a community school partner.

• Facilitated with the Community Development Department with coordination of the Façade Improvement Program for South Waterfront business owners.

• Coordinating with PBA to manage the design and construction of the new Suttree Landing Boathouse.
Cumberland Avenue

• Reached substantial completion of Phase II, 22nd Street to 16th Street, on time and within budget. Ribbon-cutting was held Aug. 17, 2017.

• The Phase II portion of the project, from 22nd Street to 17th Street, included completing the northern and southern side of Cumberland Avenue including: utilities, silva cells, new sidewalks, planter areas, decorative brick pavers, and pedestrian and vehicular lights. This work has been a team effort with Engineering and Redevelopment co-managing the prime contractor, Southern Constructors Inc., and continuing work with prime consulting engineers, Vaughn & Melton.

• Maintained, in conjunction with Vaughn & Melton, the website www.cumberlandconnect.com and app for smartphone users with push notifications for project information, merchant information, construction updates and traffic changes. Project communications have been very well-received.

• Maintained a Google map on Cumberland Connect to log and track all requested road closures in and around Cumberland Avenue and Fort Sanders neighborhood, including City projects, KUB projects, University of Tennessee projects and private development requests. At one time, there were more than 30 points of information on this map; on average there are half a dozen items on this map.

• Continue to assist with the Cumberland Avenue Administrative Review Committee (ARC) led by Plans Review and Inspections Department.

• Continued coordination with Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) and stakeholders. Coordinated the return of the University of Tennessee’s Homecoming Parade to Cumberland Avenue for the first time in 30 years. A post-parade celebration was planned, but severe weather limited participation.

• Assisted with the private development located at 705 S. 17th St. and 1830 Cumberland Ave.
Magnolia Avenue Streetscapes

• Monthly progress meetings are held with engineering, design consultant and City Engineering Department.

• Final plans are complete and have been submitted to TDOT pending its review.

• Right-of-way process began in October 2017 and slated to be complete by March 2018.

• Started the Magnolia Avenue Streetscape Project Blog to provide citizens and those interested with project updates.

• Presented Streetscapes plan at various neighborhood groups and organizations.

Downtown North

• Finalized detailed design of the North Central Street streetscape project from Magnolia Avenue to Woodland Avenue, an approximately 1.1-mile stretch of roadway. Submitted right-of-way and utility plans and have received TDOT Notice to Proceed (NTP) to construction.

• Bid the project in summer 2017, construction is scheduled to start January 2018.

• Contracted with Mallia Engineering and Benefield Richters Architecture firms to assess the structural issues associated with the roof of the former Sanitary Laundry; developed design plans; issued an invitation to bid for the roof work in spring 2017. Anderson Lumber was selected as the prime consultant and the notice to proceed was issued in August 2017. The project is scheduled to be complete in February 2018.

Brownfield Development

• Applied for and received an EPA Cleanup Grant for the former Sanitary Laundry to address issues found in the Phase II assessments, including lead-based paint, asbestos and vapor intrusion issues. Have submitted work plan to EPA and received approval of the work plan and a contract for the cleanup grants. A request for qualifications was to out prior to the end of 2016. The City selected S&ME to conduct the cleanup. The general Quality Assurance Project Plan and Site Specific Quality Assurance Project Plan have been approved by EPA, and work will start prior to the end of 2017. The grant is for three years and is valued at $240,000 ($200,000 EPA, $40,000 local match).

• Applied for and received an EPA Cleanup Grant for the former McClung Warehouses sites to address issues found in the Phase II assessments, including heavy metal concentrations, asbestos and potential vapor intrusion issues. Have submitted work plan to EPA and received approval of the work plan and a contract for the cleanup grants. A request for qualifications was put out prior to the end of 2016. The City selected S&ME to conduct the cleanup. The general Quality Assurance Project Plan and Site Specific Quality Assurance Project Plan have been approved by EPA, and work will start prior to the end of 2017. The grant is for three years and is valued at $180,000 ($150,000 EPA, $30,000 local match).

• The Deputy Director of the Office of Redevelopment was invited to speak at the EPA Region 4’s Environmental Workshop in Atlanta and the Redevelopment Rodeo and Developers Talk Deals at the National Brownfields Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., to discuss the City of Knoxville’s work on these two brownfield cleanup properties.

• Assisted MPC and other City staff with the review and changes to the proposed parking ordinance update.

• Assisted MPC and Plans Review and Inspections with staff review of the proposed new zoning ordinance update.

• Assisted MPC, TPO and other city staff with the RFP for the Chapman Highway Corridor Study.

• Staff served on the following boards and committees: Downtown Design Review Board, Knoxville Greenways Committee, Great Smoky Mountain Regional Greenway Coalition, Public Property Naming Committee, Public Art Committee, Dow Community Action Committee, Employee Benefits Advisory Committee, Community Development Façade Design Review, the Great Schools Partnership and the United Way Income and Investment Committee, Visit Knoxville.

• Continuing partnerships and transparency with area organizations such as Legacy Parks Foundation, CBID, Market Square Merchants Association, Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association, Aslan Foundation, South Knoxville Alliance, South Knoxville Foundation, North Knoxville Business & Professional Association, Historic Old City Association, East Knoxville Professional Business Association, East Knoxville Business Alliance, Broadway Corridor Task Force, neighborhood groups, and others.

• Redevelopment staff participates in the annual Neighborhood Conference with booth display and information about projects within the City’s Redevelopment areas.

• Established new development team to work in conjunction with the City’s local economic development agencies and private developers seeking development assistance through PILOTs and TIFs. This year, development assistance has given opportunity to support projects including: Efficient Electric Lofts, Keener Lofts, Stockyard Lofts, Orange Knoxville Cumberland Development, Grand at Gay, Embassy Suites, Tyson/Jennings Project, Fort Hill Tier 3 Data Center, South High.

• City of Knoxville was selected to receive technical assistance from Smart Growth America on Small-Scale Manufacturing and Place-Based Economic Development for the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District. Office of Redevelopment partnered and worked closely with the City’s Community Development Department, Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, and Knoxville Area Urban League. SGA conducted a three-day workshop in July where they interviewed Makers, City officials, property owners, the dean of Pellissippi State Community College Magnolia Branch, etc.

• Assisted MPC and other City staff with the review and changes to the Chapman Highway Corridor Study.

• Provided Endeavor Summit video compilation on the growth and development occurring in South Knoxville. Redevelopment partnered with CTV to produce interviews with City staff, property owners, and local residents about the growth and momentum in South Knoxville.

• Met with MPC and other City departments in an effort to provide feedback on the draft zoning ordinance from Camiros consultant.

• The City of Knoxville’s Office of Special Events strives to make our community the best city in which to live, work and play. This office is responsible for all special events that happen within the City of Knoxville. The Special Events staff plans and oversees a wide array of events and publicity efforts designed to promote various programs and initiatives; this includes public speaking engagements, celebrations, groundbreakings, ribbon-cuttings and festivals.

• More than 1,500 events go through the Special Events office each year.

• For each of these events, Special Events handles the road closures, forms, insurance and banner permits, as well as assists with map layouts and security procedures for each event.

• A community Special Events meeting is held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the Civic Coliseum Ballroom. Event planners are invited to come and meet with the City departments (Police, Fire, Public Service, KAT, PBA, Parks and Recreation) that can assist them and answer any questions. Also at these meetings, speakers are often invited to address the planners and discuss different aspects of planning an event – including information on security, recycling and food safety.

• In collaboration with the Law Department, Special Events is periodically updating the Special Events Guide and works closely with the Office of Business Support.

Sponsorships

• The Office of Special Events strives to raise private funds to assist with the cost of the public events that are hosted by the City of Knoxville, including Concerts on the Square series, Festival on the Fourth, Celebration of Lights, the ice rink on Market Square and New Year’s Eve on the Square.
o Concerts on the Square – $3,500
o Festival on the Fourth – $36,000
o Celebration of Lights – $35,000
o Holidays on Ice Rink – $27,500
o Christmas at Chilhowee – $1,000
o New Year’s on the Square – $10,000

• A total of $113,000 was raised in 2017. In addition to the cash sponsorships, Special Events works to acquire as many in-kind donations as possible for each of its events.

Concerts on the Square

• Special Events continued to develop the Concerts on the Square series with an array of different musical acts, including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, country, blues, rock and jazz as well as acoustic performances.

• Created two series: The first is “Jazz on the Square,” held every Tuesday evening from May through August. The second series is “Variety Thursdays,” which consists of a variety of musical styles and genres.

• These are booked through the Special Events office and when possible, the office works to find funding to cover the cost of the entertainment or look for entertainment willing to perform for the exposure. This year, Special Events acquired a sponsor to pay for two concerts – “Square on the Square” and “Fall on the Square.” These were interactive performances that urged the audience to join in and learn how to square dance. These were received very well, and Special Events hopes to have the sponsor fund this again in 2018.

• The goal was to create and expand this series on the Market Square Stage. Attendance for both Tuesday and Thursday performances continues to grow.

• In 2016, the City installed an outdoor sound system at a cost of $40,000. Three-year contract with Stellar Vision and Sound sound engineering to manage this system for all events on the Market Square Stage. This has enabled the City to control the sound level much more effectively, since the system is designed exclusively for the Square. The City charges $500 to each event that requires sound and have put into place a policy that restricts the use of any additional sound equipment. This keeps the sound at an acceptable level for the Square. The quality of the sound system is excellent and has been received very well by musicians as well as concertgoers.
Collaboration with partners

• The Special Events team has cultivated a relationship with the Visit Knoxville staff, with communication through monthly meetings; the City and Visit Knoxville are working together on projects that enhance both the City of Knoxville and the East Tennessee region.

• Other partners include Downtown Knoxville (CBID), 100 Block Association, the Market Square Association, City People, Arts and Culture Alliance, and the Old City Association; when possible, the Special Events staff attend their monthly meetings.

• In addition, the City’s first Poet Laureate – author, musician and playwright R.B. Morris – has created new works and performed readings. He’s currently engaging with schoolchildren to have them create original poems and lyrical prose, and he’s involved with public art projects. Morris will serve as Poet Laureate through this summer. The Arts and Culture Alliance is inviting nominations for the next Poet Laureate.
Festival on the Fourth

• The Fourth of July celebration brings close to 50,000 people to World’s Fair Park for a day filled with family-fun activities. Some of the new activities added in recent years are paddle boats on the “Lazy River,” miniature golf and a Water Challenge water balloon game.

• Music was provided on both the Festival Lawn as well as the Performance Lawn with bands that Special Events booked for entertainment during the day prior to the KSO performing in the evening. Special Events was able to book a very special group this year – honored to have the Air Force band from Scott Air Force Base.

• Free handouts were provided at the Special Events booth, including Statue of Liberty hats, beach balls, Frisbees and Blue Lizard sunscreen samples received through a grant application. All of the City’s booth sponsors also handed out free items throughout the day.

Christmas in the City

• The Regal Celebration of Lights was held on Nov. 24. The highlight of the evening was the Mayor’s lighting of the animated 42-foot Christmas tree in Krutch Park Extension. The evening consisted of family-friendly music, food and free activities at the “Christmas Village” on Market Street and, in Krutch Park, Home Depot’s “Santa’s Workshop” allowed children to create a special craft.

• All of these activities are provided by partnerships with many sponsors.

• The traditional window-decorating contest continued with the assistance of Downtown Knoxville and Visit Knoxville. There were 34 window-decorating participants this year. The Special Events Office presented the awards for the best window design during the Tour de Lights on Dec.15 at the Bill Lyons Pavilion prior to the race.

• The WIVK Christmas Parade logistics are managed through the Special Events Office, in partnership with Cumulus. The 2016 parade was held on Dec. 1 in downtown Knoxville.

• Marketing for Christmas in the City included “The Peppermint Trail,” the “Elf on the Shelf Adventure” and a wonderful mural at the ice rink on the Square. All of these events were created by CBID, Visit Knoxville and Special Events to market Christmas in the City. It was a great collaboration between the downtown organizations and was a very successful campaign, bringing a record number of people downtown for the holidays.

• Christmas at Chilhowee on Dec. 8 brought out many families to meet Santa, enjoy the music of the season and hot cocoa, roast marshmallows, ride on miniature trains or take a hayride through the park to view the lights, all free of charge. The event acquired another new sponsor, Chilhowee Park, which assisted the City in paying for the free Santa pictures.

• Holidays on Ice celebrated its 12th year of operation by the City of Knoxville. Clear dashers were added to the rink last year. After the 2015 removal of the tent over the ice, it opened up the rink even more and was visually very attractive. The response to the open-air ice rink was very positive. This event has become a beloved tradition for the City, and each year, Special Events strives to make the experience more enjoyable. The City’s team works closely with Robyn Wilson (rink manager) in all aspects of the operations. More than 20,000 skaters and 20,000 spectators came to the Market Square rink between Nov. 24, 2017, and Jan. 7, 2018.

• The Tour de Lights bicycle ride was held on Dec. 15 with festively decorated holiday bikes and riders meeting on Market Square. This five-mile tour of downtown, Fourth and Gill and Old North Knoxville has become a favorite holiday tradition. Hundreds of bicyclists attended the event. Special Events handles the logistics for this event, and Kelley Segars of the Transportation Planning Organization does the planning and organizing.

• New Year’s on the Square celebration was held on Market Square, featuring a big screen on the stage showing images of 2017 highlights, a ball drop and fireworks show at midnight. This year, The Bicho Brothers Band performed on the Bill Lyons Pavilion from 10-11:30 pm. Frank Murphy of 93.1 FM again was the emcee for the evening. In addition to the band, Pyro Shows designed a large 2018 sign to go over the Bill Lyons Pavilion that lit up at midnight. This event has become so popular that Special Events may need to consider moving to a larger area in the future.

Additional events

• Assisted with the Mardi Growl dog parade on March 6.

• Helped plan and execute a number of festivals, including the Dogwood Arts Festival, the Rossini Festival, the Asian Festival, the Kuumba Festival, the Hola Festival and the International Biscuit Festival.

• Assisted with the Knoxville Marathon.

• Helped with the Veterans Day Parade.

• Special Events also assisted with organizing and implementing a number of events through the Mayor’s Office and other City departments:
o Assisted the Parks and Recreation Department with ribbon-cuttings, groundbreakings;
o Worked with Lakeshore Park on the dedication of the Haslam Family Monument;
o Assisted Community Development with ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings for various projects;
o Assisted the Sustainability Office with various ribbon-cuttings; and
o Assisted the Office of Redevelopment with the Aug. 17 ribbon-cutting and reception for the completion of the Cumberland Avenue reconstruction project.

• Organized and implemented the Mayor’s State of the City budget luncheon as well as a City Council budget retreat.

• Organized and implemented the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony.

• Assisted with organizing the Employee Benefits Fair.

• Arbor Day Celebration on Nov. 3 at Sequoyah Hills Elementary.

• Assisted with the planning and coordination of the Council Swearing-In Ceremony on Dec.16

• Completed semi-annual update of the City’s Energy & Sustainability Work Plan and Emissions Inventory, showcasing progress toward sustainability goals.o Within City operations, we’ve reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent since 2005 and are on track to hit our goal of reducing emissions 20 percent by 2020.o At the community level, greenhouse gas emissions are down 8 percent from 2005 levels, even while population, economic activity and property values have increased over the last decade.

• Kicked off LED Streetlight Project to retrofit the City’s 29,500-plus streetlights to energy-efficient technology.
o The project will save money, reduce energy use, and take a major step toward exceeding the City’s goal of reducing municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. With anticipated energy and maintenance cost savings of $2 million annually, the investment will pay for itself in less than a decade.

• With the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee and Knoxville Utilities Board, completed the Knoxville Extreme Energy Makeover program (KEEM), which over two years provided energy efficiency upgrades to nearly 1,300 lower- and moderate-income Knoxville homes.
o Collectively, KEEM upgrades save nearly 6 million kilowatt hours each year – with average utility cost savings to families approaching $500 annually.
o The retrofits reflect more than $12 million of direct economic impact in the local community – with more than $8.5 million going directly to local contractors who provided the energy upgrades.o KEEM educated 1,700-plus Knoxville residents on no- and low-cost ways to save energy through a series of 150-plus free, educational Savings in the House workshops.

• Knoxville was recognized as one of 25 international finalists for a 2017 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award.
o Knoxville’s KEEM project was one of six finalists in the “Cities4Energy” category, alongside Austin, Chicago, Quindao, Copenhagen, and Vancouver.

• Contracted with Zagster Inc. and local partners Visit Knoxville and Legacy Parks to provide bike sharing services on City-owned property.
o When launched in 2018, the new privately-owned and operated bike share program will provide accessible, short-term bike rental options to residents and visitors in downtown and surrounding locations.

• Participated in the Recode Knoxville project to advance modern zoning standards that support development and redevelopment in a manner that uses resources efficiently and builds a strong, sustainable, walkable community.

• Participated in the 2017 update of the Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, with particular focus on supporting the assessment of how changing future conditions will impact local risks and mitigation strategies.

• Achieved designation as National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Community (the first municipal certification in Tennessee).

•Continued implementation of Community Garden Pilot to allow community groups to garden on City-owned properties.
o Completed survey and interviews with interested community groups in order to inform contracting process required for garden development.

• Staffed the Food Policy Council (FPC) and helped organize a series of intensive meetings with FPC members and stakeholders about national and local food policy.